Fantasma Del Cielo
by BrokenAria
Summary: Tsuna has a twin sister, whom much like her brother is special. But, she is a different kind of special. Sawada Setsuna can see ghosts - especially one by the name of Giotto. At first, she desperately tries to push away her abilities, but soon finds it's her duty to release the souls stuck on Earth. Unfortunately for her, the Mafia is wrought with many vengeful spirits.
1. Target One

**Author's Note:** This idea randomly hit me. I sat down to work on one of my other million stories, but I couldn't ignore this one. I'm sorry. Please don't kill me.

(By the way this is not an AU. It's basically another storyline that is happening simultaneously with the canon.)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

* * *

**Target One:**

* * *

Even when Sawada Setsuna was born, she saw a ghost in the hospital room. Of course she didn't think much of the man with the spiky golden hair and the burning amber orbs at the time - but little did she know that he was the first of many spirits she would come to see.

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

"Tsuna-kun!" Nana called from downstairs. "Have you seen your sister anywhere?" Tsuna, whom was in the middle of playing with the toys his Daddy had bought him the day before, didn't know per se, but he could guess.

"Backyard!" Tsuna called back through the open bedroom door, his voice slightly mangled by the loss of one of his two front teeth. Nana nodded to herself, she should have known.

Setsuna always spent her time out there.

The young four year old in question was currently sitting on the patio, chatting with a little boy. Both of them had the same wild blonde hair, and eyes that looked like two pairs of giant topaz.

"So how is your brother doing?" the boy asked. "I worry about him sometimes."

Setsuna pouted at the mention of him. "You always ask about, Nii-chan."

"That's because I know everyone else is fine... He seems a little too much like... " he trailed off, gazing into the distance at the setting sun. Setsuna frown slightly, following his line of vision. Every once in awhile Giotto would get like this. Where the two would be talking normally then all of a sudden he would get all sad.

"Well," Setsuna placed a tiny hand over one of his. "Tsuna-nii is good. Daddy got him some toys yesterday to cheer him up after a dog barked at him."

At that Giotto chuckled, his high pitched voice sounding like clear bells tinkling in the wind. "That's why I worry. Your brother scares way too easily. A Mafia Boss should be strong."

"Mafia Boss?" Setsuna quirked a thin eyebrow.

Giotto only grinned wistfully at her. "He may never have to be one... but I just have this feeling. Tsuna-kun looks way too much like me for it to be coincidence..."

Setsuna hummed in agreement. "You do look a lot like, Nii-chan."

"Sorry," Giotto apologized after a moment, remembering just who he was talking to. "You must be bored with this old man's ramblings."

"You're not an old man," Setsuna giggled, her golden hair bouncing with every laugh that shook her tiny frame. Giotto couldn't help smiling back at her. Setsuna was so innocent right now - she had no clue of the hardships she'd have to face as not only his descendant but a Medium at that.

"Setsu-chan," Nana said as she slid open the back door to the house. "Who are you talking to?"

"Giotto," Setsuna replied quickly, a grin still wide on her face.

"That imaginary friend again?" Nana shook her head in quiet bemusement. No matter where they went, Setsuna would always strike up a conversation with thin air. Even just walking down the street, Setsuna would run off, saying she found a friend to talk to. At times, it was quite unnerving, and as much as Nana wanted to write it off as simple childhood imagination she couldn't deny her growing unease over the subject. "Well, it's time for dinner, so go wash up."

Setsuna hopped up from her spot at the end of the patio, offering a hand to Giotto which he hesitantly accepted. "Can he come to dinner too?" the small blonde asked her mother eagerly.

Another sad smile crossed Giotto's features. "I should probably go back home. I can't stay long as it is."

Setsuna pursed her lips. "Come back soon?"

"You bet."

Then the little boy waved before disappearing in the wind. Setsuna waved back, already missing the boy she had gotten to know in the past year. Apparently no one else could see him, but she could. Despite how intermittent his stays were, Giotto was Setsuna's best friend.

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

Setsuna soon found that all ghosts weren't as nice as Giotto though.

When most spirits found out that she could see them they would demand something from her. Some wanted her to tell their secrets. Others simply wanted her to say their goodbyes. There were even a few extremists that demanded she get revenge for them.

As much as she wished she could help all of them, Setsuna couldn't deny that they terrified her. Especially the ones that didn't know how to hide the injuries that had caused their deaths. As a child the apparitions hadn't bothered her much since she didn't realize just what they were though.

By the time she was in her first year of middle school however she was already tired of it all. Tired of having to ignore ghosts so they wouldn't bother her. Tired of people staring at her when a ghost did feel so inclined to pester her and she would have to tell them to go away. Tired of feeling insane for being able to see things that other people couldn't

Everyone thought she was crazy - even her twin brother Tsuna. Sure, he wasn't mean about it or anything. But he could tell when she got that look in her eyes that she saw something that he didn't. Though, he attributed it more to his sister being weird than anything else.

Because of this however they weren't exactly the closest. That wasn't to say Setsuna didn't love her brother, because she would do anything for him, but there was always this impenetrable wall between them. Like no matter how hard they tried they were simply unable to reach the other.

So, when a spirit decided to randomly pop up in the middle of her Math class Setsuna wasn't particularly thrilled.

"**_Help... Me..._**" the man groaned. There were rope marks on his neck, and his head was lolling sickeningly to the side. Setsuna tried her best to avert her eyes, but he just kept moaning and shifting closer.

_How stereotypical._ Setsuna thought with a sigh. This was obviously one of the more freshly dead spirits. When they've been around longer they can hide the wounds that had killed them, and start to resemble their past selves more. This man however still thought he was alive.

"**_You... Can... See... Me... Right?_**" the ghost demanded, his hands firmly planted on the edge of her desk. "**_Please?_**"

Unable to take it anymore, Setsuna threw a thin hand into the air. "Can I be excused please?"

The whole class instantly bubbled to life.

"Here we go again," Setsuna heard a classmate grumble.

"Why do we have to have this freak in our class?" asked another.

There were similar complaints all throughout the room. Setsuna tightly closed her eyes, partly to block out the ghost staring intently at her and partly to contain the white hot anger boiling inside.

When her teacher finally gave her leave to go, she heaved a sigh of relief. Though it was short lived when she noticed the ghost had followed her into the hallway.

"**_Help... Me..._**"

Setsuna irritably turned on a heel to face him. "You're dead, okay? So please just leave me alone."

The man's eyes widened with the realization. "**_I'm... Dead?_**" Then a bright light engulfed him and the manifestation of his body shattered, revealing a more normal version of the man he used to be.

"Better?" she asked delicately, giving him a small encouraging smile.

A grin took over his features as well. "Thank you... I think I can rest easy now."

Setsuna scratched at her neck sheepishly as he finally disappeared. Those ghosts were always the easiest to deal with. They were problematic regardless, but all they required was simply telling them what they were. Easy, but still irritating.

With a sigh, Setsuna ran a hand through the length of her long, blonde hair.

Now that she was so worked up there was no point in going back to class.

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

When Setsuna finally made it home she was surprised to find her brother already there. With a light knock on his bedroom door, she peeked her head inside, only to find him hovered over a manga like always.

"Skip out early too?" Setsuna asked with a chuckle.

Tsuna sighed, flopping over onto his back. "Yeah, got stuck cleaning after P.E. again and didn't feel like staying."

"I know the feeling," Setsuna leaned into the door frame thoughtfully, crossing her arms over her chest.

Tsuna grimaced slightly at his sister. Sure, everyone at school walked all over him but he kind of deserved it for being so useless. Setsuna wasn't nearly as bad as he was, but they bullied her just as much, if not more so. They were known around the school as the Dame-Twins. Though she was known more specifically as the girl that talked to herself.

As much as Tsuna wanted to stick up for his sister, what could he do for her? What they said about her wasn't wrong. Ever since he could remember Setsuna would occasionally space out and begin having conversations with thin air. For awhile he thought she just had an over active imagination - hell, he still did - but after a few months in therapy as a child it was deemed she was simply doing it for attention.

Tsuna couldn't quite understand why she would even remotely want the kind of attention they got, but ultimately it didn't matter. Regardless of her quirks, to him she was just Setsuna, his weird sister.

"Tsunayoshi!" Nana shouted at the bottom of the stairs, pulling both of her children from their thoughts. "I got a call from the school. You cut out during the middle of class again?" Nana was ready to bulldoze through the door when she caught her daughter already occupying the space. "Oh, hey, Setsu-chan!"

Nana pulled Setsuna into a quick embrace, causing Tsuna to scoff. "Why when I cut school you're ready to tear my head off but when she does it you hug her?"

"You cut too, Setsu-chan?" Nana asked suddenly, releasing her daughter.

_Traitor._ Setsuna sent Tsuna a look that said as much before ducking through the open door. Thankfully, Nana didn't chase after her and she retreated safely to her own room.

"Sorry, but you're on your own this time, Nii-chan," Setsuna apologized as she listened to the yelling through the wall. Their mom was really laying into him this time. After a few minutes however, the argument shifted and Setsuna could hear the stomping of feet down the stairs.

Curious, yet still wanting to avoid persecution, Setsuna hesitantly ventured into the hallway.

"I refuse to have a Home Tutor, okay?!" Tsuna exclaimed, almost shrilly. "I'm not good at anything I do anyway!"

"Ciaossu!" a high pitched voice squeaked above the commotion. Not recognizing the voice, Setsuna risked creeping down the stairs to figure out just what was going on.

The moment she reached the bottom of the staircase though, her and Reborn had fairly differing reactions of the other respectively.

_Wow, she is the spitting image of Giotto._

And,

_Holy crap, why is there a ghost chained to the back of that baby?!_

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note:** I may not continue this story depending on how it's received. Considering I have other stories that people are in demand of. But, I actually like this one significantly more than some of the others. So, if you like it too and want to see it continued let me know!

(P.S. The title means "Ghost of the Sky" in case you were wondering)


	2. Target Two

**Author's Note:** Surprised at the amount of feedback I got for the first chapter. I'm honestly a little shocked that people were confused as to who the OC was, but to clear things up for future reference: Tsuna is the same as the original. Setsuna is the OC, and Tsuna's twin sister. Hope that helps!

(Also, a big thanks to **_livelovehatedie_**, **_Reika24_**, **_brokenmaelstorm_**, **_RenaScarlet_**, **_Lover's Red Rose_**, **_Animefreak1145_**, and **_tabemono604_** for reviewing. I really appreciate any and all feedback you guys have.)

* * *

**Target Two:**

* * *

Over the years Setsuna had seen many abnormal things.

From people with with their faces bashed in to people riddled with gaping holes and gashes. To shock her would be a fairly difficult thing to accomplish. But, as she stood there at the bottom of the staircase she found herself faced with something she had absolutely never seen before.

Tethered to the back of the toddler in the kitchen was a man. Well, the ghost of a man to be more specific. One, whom, by the looks of it, was identical to the child.

Same fedora. Same curled sideburns. Even down to the suit. Everything about the two were indistinguishable aside from the age difference.

Despite the floating spirit, what also garnered her attention was the chain that connected the two.

The manacle looked as if it were made out of pure billowing shadow. But the more she stared at it the sturdier it appeared. As if no matter how hard someone struck the links they would never shatter or give way. Yet at the same time it seemed so very fragile.

"W-who is this?" Setsuna finally managed to ask, her voice barely above a whisper.

Tsuna rolled his eyes, oblivious to his sister's distress. "The Home Tutor Mom signed me up for apparently," he turned his eyes on Nana, who was currently biting her thumb thoughtfully. "I told you it was a scam."

Nana glanced from Reborn to her two children. In the letter Iemitsu had sent her not even the week before he mentioned the Tutor may be a tad unconventional, but to let him teach Tsuna regardless.

_Trust me, Nana. _The words that he had sealed the letter with flashed across her mind. Iemitsu had never let her down or lied to her before. Plus, she always respected her husband's wishes - no matter how outlandish.

"Setsuna, I take it," Reborn nodded to the the blonde, before sending a sideways glance at her brother. "And you must be Tsuna."

"Sorry," Tsuna lifted his hands apologetically. "But I doubt there's anything I can learn from you..."

Faster than any of their eyes could follow, Reborn sent a swift kick into Tsuna's side - causing him to double over in pain. Startled by the sudden turn of events, Setsuna rushed to her brother's side, finding him completely unconscious.

"What do you think you're doing?" Setsuna demanded, amber orbs glaring into obsidian.

"I'm here to whip Dame-Tsuna into shape," the Hitman replied simply, utterly unfazed by her outburst. Without so much as another glance at her, Reborn gripped Tsuna's loosely hanging tie and tugged him towards the stairs.

Setsuna lurched forward to stop him, but a hand at her shoulder kept her planted. "Reborn was sent by your father," Nana explained, despite the obvious skepticism in her voice. "We should trust him."

Setsuna sighed in defeat. The blonde didn't have nearly as much blind faith in her father, but if it were true then Iemitsu must have had his reasons for sending the strange toddler. Regardless of why Reborn was here however didn't change much to Setsuna. Reborn was still an entity she had never crossed before.

Even just from the short exchange she had with him, she could tell he had the mannerisms of an adult. Which of course seemed odd considering he couldn't be more than a few years old. Either he had a screw loose or an exceptionally well developed brain. Though neither of those would explain why he had an older replica of himself attached to his back.

The more she thought about it the more insane it got. Whatever he was though, Setsuna wasn't about to let Reborn do what he wanted with her family.

_Sorry, I can't just mindlessly follow you, Dad... _Setsuna apologized internally as she straightened up. Sure, she wanted to respect her father's wishes, but the man hardly ever did what was best for their small family. Even if he wanted to help - sending whatever Reborn was to be a Home Tutor definitely wasn't going to.

"Why don't you help me with dinner?" Nana asked suddenly, pulling Setsuna from her thoughts. Despite how much the blonde wanted to go upstairs to see what Reborn was doing to her brother, she was thankful for the distraction.

The two made quick work of the meal however, both so absorbed in their own minds that they barely said a word to the other the entire time.

Setting down the final plate, Setsuna let out a shaky laugh. The menial work had in fact gotten her to calm down a little, but without someone to aim her frustrations at the anger had slowly shifted into anxiety.

Reborn had already proved himself to be physically capable of taking someone out, which meant Setsuna couldn't really do much about it if he felt so inclined to act up.

The lack of control over the situation only frustrated her more.

So, when Reborn finally bounded down the stairs, Setsuna was ready to explosively vent on the toddler.

"Ciaossu!" Reborn greeted the two women as he took a spot at the table. Nana quickly served him up, while her daughter stole the seat directly across from him. "Thank you, Mama. Setsuna."

Then a stifling hush fell over the room as Reborn innocently munched on his serving, and Setsuna glared daggers at him. Though the glares were more from her focusing directly on the toddler himself over the ghost behind him. After about a minute or so of this silent exchange Reborn quirked two dark brows.

"Is there something you'd like to say?" he asked, but it was obvious that the plate in front of him concerned the toddler more than the blonde. That quickly changed however.

"What are you?" the words gushed out of Setsuna's mouth before she could stop them. Reborn narrowed his eyes, and hastily finished the bite he was on.

"I'm a Hitman."

"I see," she mumbled thoughtfully. "Though I wonder... You're obviously not a baby. Not an adult either. Are you even human?"

Reborn stiffened, definitely not having thought he'd have to explain himself to this specific Sawada twin. Hell, if Tsuna went down this line of inquiry Reborn likely wouldn't have answered him either. Considering he was expecting Setsuna to be as oblivious as Nana, this was quite... surprising.

Thankfully, Reborn was well versed in dealing with surprises.

"I'm a Hitman," he repeated simply, subsequently cutting off the conversation with another bite of his dinner. Setsuna mulled this over, and Reborn could almost see the cogs turning in her head.

"Well, _Reborn_," Setsuna grit her teeth slightly at his name. "I don't trust you."

"At least one of you has some instincts," Reborn commented dryly.

Setsuna opened her mouth to offer up a retort, only to close it a second later. She expected Reborn to vehemently deny any accusations she sent his way - not skirt around and even openly admit to them.

"So you admit you're untrustworthy?"

At that Reborn smirked, which looked quite offset with the rest of his soft features. "I admit that you're correct to doubt your surroundings."

Before Setsuna could dignify that with a response the sound of footsteps caught her attention.

"I'm going out for a bit," Tsuna called from the hallway.

"What about dinner?" Nana demanded back.

"I'll just get something while I'm out," Tsuna sighed, obviously somewhat distraught. "And about that Tutor... You sent him away, right?" Tsuna finally rounded the corner, and noticed the toddler in question currently perched at the dinner table. "What're you still doing here?!"

"Reborn will be staying here until your grades go up," Nana enlightened him on the arrangement. "As long as we provide room and board his services are free. So considerate of him, don't you think, Tsu-kun?"

"Yeah, considerate," Tsuna muttered. "Well, I'm going out now."

Tsuna honestly needed some time to himself. Today was just not his day. First he messed up the basketball game and embarrassed himself in front of the class. Then he had to witness the girl of his dreams flirt with another guy. Not to mention he got yelled at, lectured and even beaten by a toddler that insisted on absolutely ludicrous things.

Some fresh air would do him some good - though his hopes of solitude were instantly dashed.

"I'll go with," Reborn hopped up from his seat. This would be the perfect opportunity to learn more about his student. Plus, the sooner he found an opening to use the Dying Will Bullet the better. Tsuna likely wouldn't believe anything about the Mafia until he experienced it first hand anyway.

Noticing the scheming look on Reborn's face, Setsuna pushed away from the table as well. "I'm going too."

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me," Tsuna grumbled as he tried fruitlessly to walk ahead of the two. "I can't believe you guys are actually following me. Don't either of you have something better to do?"

Setsuna pursed her lips. "Not that I can think of."

Tsuna slouched his shoulders in defeat. "Shouldn't you be going to grade school anyway?" he asked with a pointed look at Reborn.

"Assassins don't go to grade school."

"Of course," Tsuna drawled sarcastically. Despite herself Setsuna was actually somewhat proud of her brother. From the looks of it, he wasn't taking this sitting down either. Sure, he was being walked over regardless but at least he wasn't completely quiet about it.

An awkward silence soon filled the air around them, yet none of them seemed too willing to break it. Tsuna was too absorbed in his own thoughts to care, while Reborn only wore an amused smile and Setsuna ran surveillance over the toddler's actions.

Which is probably why Setsuna didn't notice a ghost had been tailing them until she felt one tugging on her skirt.

"**_Help... Me..._**" came their ethereal plea. Setsuna bristled, bright amber orbs wide as she turned to face the spirit. This time the ghost was a little girl. A heavily battered little girl, with a thick sheet of crimson soaking through her tattered dress. Bruises also littered her tiny frame. Most of her exposed skin was either a deep purple or green.

Setsuna furrowed her brows, her eyes stinging as she tried to imagine just what had caused the girl to get so injured. The blonde quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts before they got too wild.

It wasn't her responsibility to help every spirit she came across - just because it was a young girl shouldn't change anything. Though somehow it did.

"**_Please..._**" the girl began to cry this time. Setsuna could tangibly feel the girl's emotions burn through her. The girl was devastated, confused and beyond that terrified.

Setsuna heaved a sigh. "You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up later."

The two boys swiveled to face her. Though the second Tsuna's eyes met his sister's he could tell she was off in her own world again. Unreachable as always. "Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly, the fight over her presence from before completely gone.

Setsuna let out a strangled noise halfway between a confirmation and a denial. Honestly, she didn't want to leave her brother alone with Reborn, but she couldn't just leave this girl by herself...

"We can wait," Reborn supplied, curious as to why she had halted so suddenly.

Setsuna grimaced. With the guys here she wouldn't be able to talk to the girl to figure out what was wrong. Even if Tsuna knew she had conversations with herself, she didn't feel too inclined to show Reborn. Biting her lip, she decided Hitman be damned, she was going to help the little girl.

With one last fleeting glance at the boys, Setsuna led the girl so they were just out of earshot from the others.

"So what do you need?" she asked, her voice hushed regardless of the distance.

"**_Flowers..._**" the girl pointed a bloodied finger towards a pole across the street. At the base was an elaborate display. There was a plethora of toys, and different flowers. Though Setsuna's eyes were drawn more to the centerpiece - a framed picture of a brightly smiling little girl. One that, underneath the grime and bruises, was identical to the ghost beside her.

"I don't see what you mean..." Setsuna noted delicately, amber eyes searching for something that would warrant her help. Surely, this girl wasn't bothering her just for the sake of bothering her.

"**_Vase..._**"

Finally, Setsuna spotted what the girl was talking about. Near the edge of the memorial was a knocked over vase of trampled flowers. Anger lashed out at Setsuna as she noticed the footprints. Someone had stomped over part of the display - repeatedly.

"**_Mama... Put... Those... There..._**"

Setsuna's heart constricted once more as the girl's emotions washed over her. The feeling of sadness was so vastly overwhelming. Tear pricked at her eyes, and it took all of her self control not to be completely consumed by the vicious onslaught.

"I'll fix it," the blonde eventually struggled out.

Despite the gore that was smeared over her face, a grin graced the girl's features. "**_Thank... You..._**"

Setsuna gave a grunt before solemnly crossing the street. Sometimes the worst part about dealing with ghosts was being forced to face the disgusting reality of humanity. The fact that there was a memorial on the street meant one thing - that the girl had been a victim of a hit and run. Not only that but some asshole thought it cool to desecrate something the girl's mother had poured her shattered heart into.

It filled Setsuna with absolute rage, but more than anything it left her ragged. If this was what the world had been degraded to, what did she have to look forward to?

Crouching down, Setsuna collected the flowers, finding them still somehow miraculously alive. Relieved at the realization she quickly placed them back in the vase.

"If I can get some water these might last a little while," Setsuna stated thoughtfully, more to herself than to the ghost. The blonde ran a scan over the general area and noticed a gate unlocked and hanging open. A slow smile formed on her lips.

"Hey, Setsu-chan, what are you doing?!" Tsuna demanded as his sister slipped through the open gate. "You can't just go into people's yards!"

The blonde put a finger to her lips, lifting the vase in her other hand as if that had any significance.

"Why does she always do this?" Tsuna gave an exasperated sigh.

Reborn quirked an eyebrow at his student. Did his sister have a hobby for fixing broken memorials? Though from the look on Tsuna's face it seemed as if he was referring to a more general action.

"Go help her, Dame-Tsuna," Reborn commanded after a moment, kicking the brunette towards the other side of the street. By the time Tsuna gathered himself up Setsuna was back with the now water filled vase.

"Come to help, Tsuna-nii?" Setsuna wondered, sounding oddly please at her brother's appearance.

"Uh - yeah - what do you need help with?" Tsuna looked away sheepishly, having just noticed what his sister had been doing. Aside from the flowers there were quite a few other things out of place. So Tsuna got to work straightening everything out while she arranged the flowers so the trampled ones wouldn't be visible.

When they were finally done the memorial looked as good as new.

"Is this okay?" Setsuna asked the ghost after a second, not caring that her brother was within earshot. The little girl nodded before a bright light washed over her, as if shining outward.

"_Thank you!_" the spirit exclaimed as her injuries phased away. A sad smile crossed Setsuna's face as the girl returned to a normal form once again. There was no reason such an innocent soul should have been taken away.

The blonde finally let a tear escape as the the ghost disappeared in a blinding flash of white.

"Are you okay, Setsu-chan?" Tsuna asked, suddenly worried about his sister. The brunette had rarely ever seen his twin cry. Even when people at school ignored her or called her names she took it in stride. Secretly, he was always jealous of that innate strength she seemed to have. But, to see her vulnerable made his chest constrict tightly with concern.

"I'm alright, Nii-chan," Setsuna wiped the moisture from her face. "Thank you for pitching in."

Tsuna grinned lightly. "Yeah."

"Kyaaaa!" the voice of a girl squealed, pulling both of their attention away from the memorial. "How cute!" Before Setsuna could even figure out where the voice was coming from Tsuna grabbed her hand and pulled her to a hiding spot behind the wall.

"What's goi -"

Tsuna shushed his sister. "That was Kyoko-chan."

"Sasagawa?" Setsuna wondered, knowing of their school idol despite not having a class with her.

"Yes, now be quiet."

The blonde chuckled as realization dawned on her. "You like her, don't you?"

"O-of course not," Tsuna tried to keep his voice down. "She's the school idol. There's no way she would go out with someone like me."

"You never know until you try."

_Says the girl with no friends. _Tsuna bit back the insult, though Setsuna noticed the very obvious skepticism in his eyes.

"I agree with Setsuna," Reborn squeaked, sending Tsuna several feet in the air. The Hitman had materialized out of seemingly nowhere, but was still exceptionally difficult to miss.

Despite the time she had to get used to the soul chained to the back of the toddler Setsuna still wasn't. The ghost just floated listlessly behind him, eyes closed in a never ending slumber. The blonde constantly felt herself checking to make sure the eyes hadn't opened. If they ever did she would probably have a heart attack.

"There's no way I'm going to confess to Kyoko-chan," Tsuna insisted defiantly. "I'm not even in her league."

"Your loser complex is amazing," Reborn noted with a shake of his head. "Anyway, it's about time." Then the toddler brandished a handgun, pointed directly at Tsuna.

"Even if you're joking that's not funny!" Tsuna sputtered, waving his hands emphatically.

"Die," Reborn replied simply as he pulled the trigger.

Blood splattered out as the bullet lodged itself in the brunette's forehead.

"Tsuna!" Setsuna screeched as he flopped lifelessly onto the ground. A sudden cocktail of grief and fury sloshed angrily in the blonde's stomach. "You just killed my brother."

Reborn gave her an amused smirk, as if he had just realized she was there.

"I knew I shouldn't have let you anywhere near my family," she hissed as she dove towards the Hitman. Reborn however had faster reflexes than she anticipated and dodged. But, as he did Setsuna's hand grazed the shadowy chain that connected the spirit to his back.

Underneath her fingertips the links were unexpectedly solid, and they instantly filled her with a sinister energy. Terrified, surprised and still grief stricken she let it go without thinking.

A vicious shiver ran the length of Reborn's tiny spine. It felt as if someone had grasped his very soul. The feeling was unnerving to say the least, and over his many years on this planet he had never experienced anything quite like it. An icy sweat broke out across his olive skin. For some reason he felt so very cold all of a sudden.

"What did you just do to me?" Reborn demanded, his eyes hidden beneath the cusp of his fedora. When Setsuna wasn't forthcoming he lifted his gun on her. Even if it was full of Dying Will Bullets the threat was still there. The blonde's eyes only burned brighter at the challenge, though they were clouded with a plethora of other emotions.

"Looks like I found your weak spot," Setsuna retorted stiffly, her jaw tight with frustration.

With a sleight of hand, Reborn replaced the Dying Will Bullets and cocked his gun.

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry to those of you that thought the ghost attached to Reborn was Luce (I can't say I didn't consider it). But I have other plans for her... _kufufufufu~_

(P.S. No worries, this is the last story I'll be starting for awhile. If you want to know my update criteria please check my profile for more information!)


	3. Target Three

**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone that reviewed the last chapter! Honestly I was worried that you guys wouldn't like it. This is my first serious OC story so I'm actually somewhat cough_severely_cough self conscious over it. I can't thank you enough for the support so far.

(By the way, I just looked it up... apparently my account is older than the first story in this fandom... Oh my glob... I'm feeling all old now...)

* * *

**Target Three:**

* * *

_Do not include Setsuna in Tsuna's training. _Iemitsu's warning echoed dully in Reborn's mind. Of course Reborn never agreed to abide by it, but it most definitely wasn't a part of his plans to get her involved.

Honestly though, Reborn wasn't really the one to blame at this point.

Sure, he shot the Dying Will Bullet in front of her but Setsuna was already way too suspicious for her own good. The blonde knew exceptionally more than she led on. Considering the first words from her mouth were questions about his true form it seemed too prudent to write her off as just another ignorant teenage girl.

Not to mention she did _something_ to him. Of that he still couldn't quite tell, but he'd be lying if he didn't admit that somewhere deep down - where it was still possible for his emotions to stir - it disturbed him.

After all it had been so long since someone got the jump on him he almost completely forgot what it felt like.

Despite his rational side however, a more primal reaction within him took over. One that recognized Sawada Setsuna as an enemy. A threat. _A target_.

The girl herself had similar notions of the Hitman.

Reborn, an undetermined being, had just murdered her twin brother without so much as a second thought.

So many emotions were whirlwinding around inside of her. Anger. Grief. Regret. Confusion. Frustration. All of it blended into one throbbing ache - _revenge_.

If she could just get close enough to grab the chain again she'd have leverage over the toddler. Setsuna wasn't exactly sure what she would do once she had him, but forethought was pretty low on her priority list at the moment.

So the two stood utterly still, waiting for the first spark of action to break their impasse.

That came almost immediately however - in the form of a shrieking brunette with a flame flickering from the hole in his forehead.

"REBORN!" a voice that scarcely sounded like Tsuna's tore from his chest. "TELL KYOKO HOW I FEEL WITH A DYING WILL!"

Before Setsuna had even the slightest moment to react, he peeled away. Positively dumbfounded, the blonde could only watch as Tsuna's feet rocketed off the pavement in the distance.

"He's alive," she sagged with relief. "Just what did you do to him though?"

A taut smirk pulled at Reborn's lips, though an edge still remained in his eyes. "You never answered my question."

"What question?" Setsuna's brain tried desperately to catch up with the situation. The past few minutes - _or was it seconds_ - had been so hectic that she barely even recognized what was going on anymore.

Reborn finally stowed away his gun, emptying the bullets from the chamber. Had what Setsuna done all been a fluke, or was she just playing dumb?

The Hitman narrowed his onyx orbs at the girl. He may have been exceptional at reading people, but in that moment he would kill for the famed Hyper Intuition that graced the Vongola line.

Setsuna might not trust him, but he didn't really trust her either...

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

After creating a silent, albeit begrudging, truce Reborn and Setsuna finally set off to track Tsuna down. Thankfully, he had garnered quite the crowd, and was particularly easy to find.

When they spotted the brunette he was hunched on the ground, caked in a peculiar mix of dirt, blood and what appeared to be... _noodles_?

"I just confessed to Kyoko," Tsuna muttered, absolutely mortified. "In my underwear... I might as well be a Hentai at this rate..."

"I'm sure everything will be fine, Nii-chan," Setsuna attempted to reassure him, though her suppressed laughter did little to soothe her brother's fractured ego. After a moment she offered him a hand, which he accepted shakily.

"The Dying Will Bullet lasts five minutes," Reborn offered when he noticed the confused glares in his direction. "After that you return to normal." Before either of the two could voice their doubts he trudged on - explaining the effects of the bullet in detail.

Reborn wondered offhandedly if he should even be telling this to Setsuna, but it was difficult to deny that she was already involved despite his intervention. If Iemitsu hadn't refused to advocate on her behalf she would have been just as eligible to be Vongola Decimo as her brother.

Although, those few minutes earlier that Tsuna had been born made all the difference. Even if Reborn trained both of them, unless something happened to Tsuna, Setsuna would never have an actual claim to the title. By any standard it was safer to keep her in the dark on that particular detail.

Not cluing her in on the Mafia in general however seemed vastly unnecessary.

Not to mention dangerous. The Setsuna Reborn stumbled upon wasn't the kind, distraught girl that the leader of CEDEF had described. No, what he found instead was a perceptive hot head with over protective tendencies.

Thankfully, Tsuna had been just what he was expecting. One curve ball was enough.

The Hitman groaned internally as he recalled how he had lost his cool earlier.

Even if it had only been for a second, that was plenty longer than he should have ever aimed at her with _actual_ intent. If he had acted even the slightest bit more impulsively she would be lying dead on the pavement, and he would be struggling to explain why he murdered her to some of the most influential people in the world.

It was a good thing there had been a certain brunette to interrupt. Otherwise things might have gotten messy - even more so than they already had.

As much as Reborn wanted to focus solely on Tsuna's growth, he couldn't shake the feeling of trepidation that had slowly crept up on him since Setsuna had done whatever it was she did to him.

Something wasn't right about that girl.

If he wanted any peace of mind he needed to find out just what it was she could do.

"So," Setsuna tore Reborn from his thoughts. "What would have happened if Tsuna-nii hadn't been regretting anything when you shot him?"

"I _am_ an Assassin," Reborn replied simply.

Setsuna opened her mouth to spout a few choice words in response, only to close it a moment later. She wasn't about to let Reborn have the last laugh - even if the way he kept glaring at her made her heart rattle anxiously in her chest.

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

Once they got home the three of them went their separate ways.

Well, as separate as they could get in the small house.

As much as Setsuna wanted to cheer her brother up, she was honestly grateful to get away from him and Reborn. The silent threats the toddler kept sending her through his obsidian orbs were enough to shake anyone up - especially when they could see the shrouded specter hovering behind him like the Grim Reaper incarnate.

Setsuna doubted she would ever get used to Reborn's ghost.

There was just something so ominous about it. The way it looked half dead. The chain that tethered directly through both of their chests. The fact that it was identical to the toddler in every way. All of it was too unnatural - even for her.

Setsuna and Reborn may have made a temporary truce to chase after Tsuna, but she still had her doubts about him. He had after all shown up out of nowhere and shot her brother with a trick bullet. That latter of which still confused the hell out of her.

The toddler had spit some nonsense about the bullet being one that could resurrect people and force them to accomplish their last regret - but there was no possible way such a thing could really exist. Surely, the main populace would have heard of something that insane by now.

Despite her opinions on the matter though, it was hard to deny what she had seen first hand.

Tsuna had died, came back to life and even hunted down his crush to confess.

The voice of reason in the back of her mind screamed that this was all ridiculous. But a more open minded one reminded her that if she could see spirits maybe a resurrection bullet wasn't so outlandish.

Heaving a sigh, Setsuna plopped down onto the edge of the patio. The blonde hadn't even realized where she was going until she found herself outside.

Whenever she was troubled she always craved the solace of her backyard.

Maybe it was a remainder from the years of her youth when Giotto had shown up to keep her company. Back then she had been so confused. Everyone thought she was lying or crazy, and even the ghosts would always beg for her help. Except for Giotto - he accepted her the way she was.

It had been so long since she had seen him last. At first she had kept expecting him to pop up randomly as he always had before.

But after a year or so she began to wonder if he would ever come back at all. Then as even more time passed she just assumed his soul had finally moved on to wherever they go after they disappear.

Even if he wasn't around anymore, sitting out here still offered the slightest bit of comfort.

Flopping onto her back, the night sky instantly consumed her vision. The twinkles of light in the vast distance reminded her dully of Giotto's eyes - the same ones she had. Though her's weren't even remotely as brilliant.

Growing up, Setsuna never questioned it, but it did strike her as odd how similar Giotto appeared to both her and Tsuna when she thought about it. Aside from his name she never asked much about his background. The other boy would always slip into a depression at the mention of it so she had soon learned to avoid the subject.

It was nights like this that she missed him the most. When she had no one to talk to. When she remembered the only person that ever understood her was no longer around to listen anymore.

Setsuna closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She could almost hear Giotto's voice now.

"_Setsu-chan_," his voice rang out clearly in her mind, though it sounded deeper than she remembered. "_It's been awhile._"

Now, she really did feel crazy.

With a groan her amber orbs fluttered open. What greeted her however was another pair of identical eyes peering down at her. Startled, she bolted upright, smashing directly into the person's forehead.

"What the - " Setsuna trailed off, nursing the swelling lump on her forehead.

"Sorry, sorry," the other voice apologized. Arcing a brow Setsuna finally turned to face the culprit. The moment she noticed the familiar gravity defying, golden hair her mouth gaped open.

"Giotto?"

"In the... ectoplasm."

"But I thought you..." _moved on_ she couldn't bring herself to say. Since the last time she saw him he had aged a bit. A part of her knew that Giotto probably had the ability to morph his appearance by now, but it was odd to see him have aged basically the difference from the last time they had met.

Now, Giotto appeared to be her age, but he looked even more like Tsuna than ever before. Of course her and Giotto shared the same coloring, but Tsuna and Giotto had literally identical features. It was almost as uncanny as Reborn and his ghost. Giotto noticed her prolonged stare however and beamed.

"Did you miss me?" he asked sheepishly.

Setsuna's lips quirked ever so slightly. "Of course."

Still grinning, Giotto plopped down next to her on the edge of the deck. "So, how have things been?" he asked, as if years hadn't passed since they last spoke.

Setsuna mulled her response over silently. How exactly was she supposed to tell him some toddler with a ghost attached to his back had shot her brother? Not to mention that Tsuna had reanimated and fulfilled his dying wish. Even just thinking it sounded positively ridiculous.

"Hey," Giotto said delicately, bumping her shoulder with his own. "What's wrong?"

Setsuna grimaced and knotted her fingers nervously in her lap. The first thing she talked to Giotto about shouldn't be something so negative. After all, the spirit probably had his own problems to think about.

"It's nothing," she replied finally. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Around," Giotto shifted uncomfortably.

"I see... and I assume you want to know how Tsuna-nii is doing since your last check in?" Setsuna added, almost bitterly.

"Of course I want to know how he's doing."

"Well," she trailed off, eyes sliding back towards the night sky. "I think he's stressed out. Life hasn't been going so great for him lately." _Or me_, she omitted.

Giotto hummed pensively. "Has anything changed _recently_?"

Setsuna leveled her eyes with his, realization budding in the pit of her stomach. "Mom got him a Home Tutor," her jaw tightened slightly at the mention of the toddler. "Although, I think you probably already know that."

As much as she hated to admit it, Setsuna could see it in Giotto's eyes that he was hiding something.

"I don't - "

"Considering he showed up just today it seems odd that you would appear the same night," she cut him off, smiling somewhat sadly. While the reunion with Giotto was a relief, a comfort she had craved immensely, it was bittersweet. In the end, no matter how congenial, Giotto only wanted her for information on her brother.

Giotto's lips creased into a firm line. "Today was the first day I could make it back."

"Convenient," she asserted tersely.

"Even so. If at all possible I would have shown up sooner," the blatant strain in his voice was difficult to ignore. "Things have been tense lately."

"What does a ghost have to worry about?"

"A lot," he snorted, a slight smirk crossing his features. "And I'm not just here for Tsunayoshi, okay?"

Setsuna heaved a sigh, and leaned back onto her palms. "I'm not a little kid anymore, Giotto. I think it's about time you just tell me who you are and why you're so concerned with me and my family."

"It's complicated," Giotto told her simply - and honestly, it was. Not only was he her ancestor, but he was pretty sure her brother was his reincarnation. A lot of people from his time seemed to be reincarnated in this generation - Setsuna included. Not that he would ever tell her about that though.

"Well, _un_-complicate it," she retorted tiredly. "I'm fed up with people not being honest with me. Nii-chan barely even talks to me because of this stupid ability. People at school ignore me. I don't even know _what_ I am. I don't need some ghost coming around and pretending to be my friend when he won't even let me know who he is!"

At this point her face was flushed and tears stung angrily at her cheeks, but she hardly cared.

"I didn't know," Giotto replied earnestly. Even though he could read her emotions, he had no idea how truly upset she was by all of this. "But I really did try to make it back."

When Setsuna didn't respond he ran a thin hand through his unkempt head of hair.

"I'm you ancestor," he admitted finally. "You and Tsuna are my great-great-great-grandchildren."

Setsuna's eyes snapped up to meet Giotto's. "Why couldn't you have just told me that to begin with?"

"I'm sure a four year old would have believed a little boy to be her great-great-great-grandfather," he drawled sarcastically, sounding so very much like Tsuna.

"Then why not appear as an old man? You told me ghosts can change how they look."

Giotto sighed lightly. "I'm not the same as other ghosts." Before she could ask what he meant he continued on. "I've been around for so long because my fate is tied to that of my descendants. But, my corporeal form is long gone and I can't stay on this plane without attaching to something. Whether that be an heirloom or... you."

Setsuna peered wordlessly into his eyes, searching for some reason to believe him. "You attach to me?"

"You're a Medium, not to mention you share my blood. It's rather strong in you and Tsuna actually... I can't just wander around like other spirits though. You're the only connection I have with this part of the Famiglia."

"You still haven't explained why you hid your age," she reminded him, her voice oddly robotic as she attempted to quell the swirling thoughts in her head.

"If I were to appear with too much of a presence it may sap energy from you," he told her delicately. "That's also why my stays are never long ones."

"I really knew nothing about you at all," she noted incredulously. Deep down, she knew that he had hidden a lot from her. But, it was overwhelming just how little she actually knew about the person she claimed to be her best friend once.

_And you still don't._ He wanted to respond, but he clamped his mouth shut. Setsuna would find out about the Vongola soon enough anyway, he needn't add to her worries. He'd already piled so many onto her in the past few minutes alone.

"You said I'm a Medium," she hedged, pulling him from his thoughts. "What does that mean?"

Now, Giotto was the one to regard her with surprise. "It means you're not bound by the barrier that separates the living from the dead. You can see, touch and feel spirits."

Setsuna hummed something deep in her throat, and leaned onto Giotto's shoulder. "After all this time," she said, her voice as hushed as the cool, night breeze. "It's nice to have a name to put to it."

"I thought I told you when you were younger," he replied, just as quietly. Maybe he had, maybe he hadn't - but he didn't have the chance to confirm as his great-great-great-granddaughter was already snoring lightly.

_Maybe I can stay for a little while longer this time..._ he mused as he looked down at her pale, sleeping face.

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note:** After proof reading this chapter I noticed there was a ton of exposition in it. The first two had been more focused on actions and this one on thoughts. While that had not been intentional I felt it necessary to explain not only Reborn's actions but Giotto's absence. I didn't want to just drop them on you without even a semblance of a warning. Although that might have been more interesting it would have been unrealistic in my opinion. I hope it didn't drag too much. If it did I'm sorry. I'll be sure to edit it at a later date.

(P.S. After some deliberation I decided to add romance to this story. I'm having some difficulties deciding what pairings to use however. So if you guys would like to leave some suggestions below I'll take them into consideration and make a poll if enough people seem interested.)

_For future reference, I really hate this chapter. I wrote it so many times and it still doesn't sound right. I hope you guys hate it at least a little less than me..._


	4. Target Four

**Author's Note:** So, the last chapter wasn't received as well as the first two. Then again it didn't have any crazy cliffhangers or interesting discoveries so that's understandable. I'm honestly surprised anyone likes this story in general. It's so ridiculously different than a great deal of other stories in this fandom. While I try not to take it personally, it's difficult to see something I put so much work into being overlooked simply because it has one thing people don't like. But oh well.

(Thank you to **_kristingreen_**, **_Yamiroo Alice_**, **_tabemono604_**, and **_Animefreak1145_** for reviewing. Still not a fan of that last chapter, but you guys made it feel a little less terrible.)

* * *

**Target Four:**

* * *

The moment Setsuna sat down at the dining table that morning she knew that she was going to have a bad day.

She never put much stock in omens, but if the intense glare emanating from the toddler sitting across from her didn't constitute as one she wasn't quite sure what would.

"What do you need, Reborn?" the blonde asked, heaving an exasperated sigh.

The Hitman seemed oddly amused at her straightforwardness, but didn't answer the blunt request. Instead, he was quite content with staring her down.

After a few moments of this however Setsuna began to feel very much like prey being stalked by a predator. The hovering ghost in the room did little to alleviate her blossoming unease as well.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she swallowed the bite she was currently on. "If you have something you want to say just say it."

"Hm," Reborn mused to himself. "I think it's about time you tell me what you did yesterday."

Setsuna stiffened, her eyes wandering to the turned back of her mother. "I'd rather not talk about that here if you don't mind," she hissed in a hushed voice. "Plus you wouldn't believe me even if I did tell you."

"You'll find I'm rather open minded."

The blonde grunted, running a nervous hand through her hair. "If it's that important to you - "

"It is."

"Then I'll tell you when we're alone."

Reborn considered this quietly. Just what exactly was she trying so desperately to hide? Something the rest of her family didn't know that was for sure. "Fine," he assented, finally lowering the dark voids he called eyes back to his plate.

Setsuna visibly relaxed, but couldn't shake the feeling that this conversation was far, far from over.

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

When the bell for lunch finally screeched above the chatter in her classroom, Setsuna was more than happy to escape the confined space.

"Be careful you don't bump into _her_," a girl sneered from behind the blonde.

"I heard she talks to herself, but I've never actually seen her do it," another replied, sounding as if they were discussing a random creature and not a human being.

"That's because she always leaves to have the conversations with her imaginary friends in private. Probably thinks it's courteous to them or something," the first girl giggled, before a few others joined in.

As much as Setsuna wanted to turn on them, her body was screaming at her to in fact, she scooped up her things to go to lunch. Ignoring everyone's blatant stares and recoils in her passing she silently made her way to the roof. Even though it was technically off limits, as the gates up there were old and had garnered a significant amount of rust over the years, it was the only place she found any peace at Namimori Middle.

Heaving a sigh of relief she plopped down onto the already sun warmed tiles, and pulled out her Bento.

"Itadakimasu!" she exclaimed, but just as she was about to take a bite something caught her attention in the corner of her eye. A dark silhouette lounging in the shadows. "If you're here to ask for something please just go away."

"What exactly would you be offering?" came the high pitched retort of Reborn.

Setsuna clenched her jaw. She knew he would seek her out after the little conversation they had this morning but she thought he would at least wait until after school. Apparently the first moment she was alone would suffice for him.

"Don't you have another Sawada to stalk?" she asked, occupying her mouth with food as an excuse to avoid the Hitman.

"Hm," Reborn sauntered over to her, seeming oddly suave for one so small. "My plans for him will go down soon enough. In the meantime however you promised to tell me something."

"I promised nothing," the blonde corrected. "But I guess I did say I would."

An amused smile tugged at the toddler's lips. "Then talk."

"You really won't believe me," she reminded him indignantly. "No one ever does.

Reborn only arced a raven brow.

"I'm a _Medium_," she used the word that Giotto had taught her just the night before. The memory left a fluttering warmth in her chest. Even if the two had somewhat of a spat she was so overjoyed to have him back in her life. That lighthearted feeling however fell in stark contrast with the one of trepidation that was threatening to consume her at the moment. "I can see ghosts."

The Hitman soaked in this new information eagerly though the shaded look on his chubby face did little to express the depth of emotions currently twisting around inside - doubt being the predominant one.

After a moment of charged silence Setsuna snorted and crossed her thin arms over her chest. "Knew you wouldn't believe me. Though I can't say I'm surprised - even considering what you are."

At that his obsidian orbs snapped to attention. "What I am?"

"Half infant, half man," she muttered, not sure what he was exactly herself. "Though I'm pretty sure the _man_ part is lying dormant."

The Hitman resisted the urge to brandish his gun once again. "Who told you about that?" he demanded, keeping his voice lethally thin.

Setsuna bristled slightly, an icy shiver raking her frame at the glare he leveled her way. "No one. As I said I can see ghosts - and you have quite the spirit trailing you."

Reborn again considered this quietly. With Iemitsu's obvious regards on her involvement in the Mafia he most definitely didn't impart this knowledge onto her. Tsuna, on the other hand knew so strikingly little about the underworld he couldn't have possibly told her anything.

Unless there was a strain of Hyper Intuition that allowed direct mind reading there was really no possible way for her to know about the Arcobaleno curse.

"Say you are telling the truth," Reborn entertained the theory. "What exactly does that have to do with what you did yesterday?"

"In our... exchange, I accidentally grabbed the chain that binds the adult you to your back."

Setsuna's hand flexed unconsciously at the memory. Despite the craziness of the time she could still distinctly recall the dark energy that filled her at the touch. The way it felt as if the only way it could exist was through sucking the life out someone. Which, it very well might have considering Reborn's current condition. Maybe he had been an adult at some point and the chain had slowly been siphoning away his soul until nothing remained but a toddler.

When Reborn yet again refused to say anything, Setsuna took the quiet moment to finish off the rest of her Bento. The Hitman seemed exceptionally more intent on his thoughts, so when the ending bell for lunch rang out, the blonde passed him without so much as a contest.

Just as she reached the door to the stairs though Reborn finally gave her a reply.

"I believe you."

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

Once Setsuna made it back to her class, she found all of her classmates to be in more of an uproar than usual.

"Come on!" a guy shouted, tugging on the shirt of the student next to him. "Didn't you hear? Mochida-senpai challenged that Dame-Tsuna to a Kendo match! We have to go watch!"

Setsuna dropped her belongings onto her desk and rushed over to the two boys. "What did you just say?!"

Both of them shrank away from her, whether from fear of the sudden demand or just her presence in general she couldn't quite tell. When neither seemed forthcoming she repeated the question, a little more politely this time.

"Mochida-senpai kidna - _er_ - took Dame-Tsuna to the Dojo for a Kendo match," the boy that spoke the first time stuttered under the intense gaze of Setsuna's amber orbs.

_My plans for him will go down soon enough_, Reborn's words from before echoed in her mind. Had this been what he was referring to?

Setsuna cursed under her breath, and ducked out of the classroom. While she wasn't exactly sure where the Kendo Hall was at, all she had to do was follow the flow of the congested traffic that filled the halls. Nearly everyone was talking about it. Some people whispered whenever they spotted her, and others even taunted her outright for it.

After what seemed like hours she, along with half of the school, reached the Dojo. But as Setsuna scanned the room she couldn't spot even a hair on her brother's spiky head. "Nii-chan?!" she called into the crowd, but it instantly got drowned out by the other chatter that filled the stagnant air.

Deciding she had ditched class for absolutely no reason, Setsuna turned to leave. Her teacher had already warned her multiple times that if she skipped any more classes there would be repercussions, but honestly her brother's safety was vastly more important than her attendance record.

That's when everything roared back to life however.

"READY TO FIGHT!" Tsuna shouted as he shoved through the crowd to the main floor. Setsuna's mouth went slack as she realized her brother had gone into the same mode as he had the day before when Reborn shot him with that bullet... what was it called?

Dying Will Mode?

"You're going to fight me half naked?!" Mochida barked with laughter. "Idiot! Did you think I would hold back because you weren't wearing armor?" The rest of the students within earshot joined in his taunting jeers, but that cut out almost immediately.

Before Mochida could get a single swing in Tsuna rocketed forward, smashing the weapon to pieces with just forehead. Then, Tsuna went in for the first point, a chop, but at the last second switched to tearing a small handful of hair from the older boys scalp. Despite the obvious, albeit strange, point the referee refused to lift his flag.

Tsuna tilted his head slightly, his enrage eyes unblinking. Even from her spot in the back of the room, Setsuna scarcely believed it was the same weak willed brother she had grown up with all her life.

After the loss of the rest of Mochida's hair, the referee finally caved and called the match.

"That was amazing!" someone in the crowd exclaimed, the rest of them following suit. In seconds the students converged on Tsuna, flinging compliments rather than insults now.

_How very fickle everyone is..._ Setsuna sighed, eyeing the scene before her with an odd amount of distaste in her mouth. Just moments ago they were all going on about how pathetic, stupid and weak he was but now he was a 'hero.'

Deep down she had to admit a part of her felt jealous. Not of the new attention her brother was getting, but more at the fact that he had finally earned some respect for himself. The twins may not have agreed or connected on much, but the lack of respect and consideration by their peers was the one thing they truly had in common.

Setsuna gave a somewhat sad smile as she watched her brother get the attention he rightfully deserved. Even if he was drifting away from her, she was proud of Tsuna for finally breaking free if even for a moment...

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

Thankfully, the next few days went pretty much without incident for Setsuna. Tsuna was in a daze from his win over Mochida, and then his ego inflated even more with the Volleyball tournament so he was off in his own little world for the most part. Reborn also didn't question her again. That didn't stop the seemingly endless flow of scrutinizing glares however.

Even the ghosts were steering clear of her - Giotto included. After she fell asleep on him the other night he hadn't reappeared. Despite herself she had actually become somewhat lonely since then. Of course Tsuna not talking to her wasn't anything really new, but after that spark of activity it almost seemed dull for everything to go back to normal.

So, when she was pulled aside by her teacher almost immediately upon showing up to class she was somewhat taken aback at the sudden break in monotony.

"Sawada," the older man began stoically. "Upon the recommendation of another teacher it has been decided that you'll be put in a different class from now on. Your attendance had been exceptionally poor thus far, and even though you have proved to be knowledgeable in some subjects there is no reason that you should stay in this more advanced class. Class 1-A should be more your pace."

Setsuna could only nod, as she tried desperately to swallow her pride. It really wasn't her fault. What was she supposed to do about it all? The spirits that stalked her didn't seem to care even the slightest bit that she was in the middle of a quiz or an exam when they showed up. And it wasn't like she could tell anyone the real reasons why she always had to excuse herself. They'd lock her up in the crazy bin before she could even finish explaining.

So far the only people that ever believed her anyway were Giotto and Reborn, yet neither were exactly the most reputable of sources.

No one in her class was all that broken up over her transfer either, which made it that much easier to leave them behind. In retrospect, Setsuna wasn't all that upset about having to switch, but as she made her way over to her new classroom she couldn't help feeling that she had lost in some way.

It wasn't like her original class was all that advanced anyway, maybe just slightly accelerated, but it made her feel inadequate somehow being kicked out. Almost as if she wasn't able to juggle a normal school life and being stalked by ghosts - which quite frankly she wasn't.

"Ah, there she is," the teacher, a fairly stereotypical looking middle aged man, clucked as Setsuna slid inside of the classroom. "These are the two new transfers we'll be having with us for the rest of the year." He gestured for her to join him at the front of the room. On the other side of the teacher was another student.

He had semi-long, although nicely kept, silver hair, crystal green orbs and an expression that probably attracted as much negative attention as the skulls clinging to his accessories.

"This is Gokudera Hayato, he has been studying overseas in Italy," the older man gestured to the silver haired boy then over to Setsuna. "And I'm sure you know Sawada Setsuna, who will be joining us here from now on."

"Isn't that your sister, Dame-Tsuna?" a student asked the boy, a little too loudly. Tsuna wasn't really sure how to respond. He had no idea Setsuna was going to be switching classes - much less be joining his. Regardless of that bombshell however, he was more concerned with the way Kyoko was ogling the other transfer student.

Setsuna also simultaneously realized that this was in fact her older brother's class. Of course, on some level she knew he was in 1-A but it hadn't really registered that he would be in it for some reason.

After Setsuna and Gokudera finished their introductions, which were both rather short and substanceless, they were guided to their seats. Setsuna being a little in front of Tsuna and Gokudera somewhere off to the side. Before either of them actually took their spots though the silver haired boy made a beeline for Tsuna's desk.

Without even the slightest provocation, Gokudera slammed his foot into one of the metal legs, scattering all of Tsuna's belongings across the aisle. "Hieee!" Tsuna exclaimed in surprise, trying to catch what he could - and failing miserably.

Other students chuckled as the brunette scrambled to gather all of his things. Setsuna sent them a slight glare before rushing to her brother's aid. "Here you go, Nii-chan," she whispered as she handed over the pile she collected.

"Thank you," he replied hesitantly, obviously shaken up by the random bout of bullying.

After that the class finally settled down a little bit. There was still the occasional mention about having the Dame-Twins, and the oh so attractive half-breed now, but for the most part it was pretty standard.

Until of course, an eerie melody pierced the silence in the room.

The lilting notes sounded like that of a piano. They were woven so intricately that it had to have been a talented pianist behind it. Despite the obvious skill however, the piece evoked an exceptionally powerful feeling of sadness in Setsuna's gut. After a moment, unshed tears even began to prick at her eyes.

_What the heck?_ Setsuna quickly glanced around the room, but everyone was still busily working on the worksheets the teacher had passed around, completely unperturbed.

Not quite sure what to make of the situation, she leaned back towards Tsuna.

"Do you hear that?" she asked in as hushed a voice as she could manage.

"Hear what?" Tsuna demanded back, his eyes wide with concern.

"That piano."

Tsuna swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. Setsuna had only been in his class for less than an hour and she was already up to her antics. As much as it freaked him out, more than anything he worried about her when she got like this. It wasn't normal for a teenage girl to be seeing and hearing things.

Setsuna noticed the glazed look of pity that filled her brother's honey brown eyes and swiveled back around in her seat. She wasn't exactly quite sure what she had been hoping to accomplish by asking him, but at least she knew she was the only one hearing it.

Which, meant there was likely a ghost nearby. Sure, she had never heard anything like a spirit being accompanied by music before but she wasn't about to rule it out either.

After a quick scan of the room she realized the apparition wasn't _in_ the room.

It was in the hallway.

Through one of the slit windows that led to into the hallway, she noticed a woman staring intently inside. She was one of the most beautiful women Setsuna had ever seen. The spirit had soft features, though they were spoiled slightly by the grimace on her lips. Aside from her features however she had wavy silver hair, and exceptionally light green-grey eyes.

"_**Hayato...**_" Setsuna could hear the woman's ethereal moan from outside.

Hayato? Wasn't that the name of the other transfer student?

Surely enough, when the blonde turned to inspect the boy, she instantly noticed the resemblance.

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note:** I really should be working on my short story piece for my Fiction Writing class, but oh well... Literary fiction can get so boring sometimes...

(On a random note, I did do some research on the Japanese school system but I doubt I got the nuances of it all down correctly. So if there are any glaring mistakes on the subject please let me know so I can fix it.)


	5. Target Five

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! Three updates in a single week, wow, this must be a sign of the apocalypse. Hope I don't bring about anything too terrifying...

(Don't forget to say happy birthday to Yamamoto today! Are you guys prepared for all the Yamamoto dedicated fics about to be released? I know I am! I love that adorable little baseball freak :D)

* * *

**Target Five:**

* * *

Setsuna tried to ignore it, she really did.

But the ghost just refused to leave it's perch at the window. Even though for once, rather than staring at her, the spirit was intent on someone else - the faint piano aria drifting through the room did little for Setsuna's focus. No matter how much easier the work was now, if she couldn't hear herself think it would be impossible to accomplish anything.

Heaving a labored sigh, Setsuna shot a hand into the air.

"Yes, Sawada?"

Tsuna opened his mouth to respond, only to notice the teacher strolling over to his sister's desk.

_Not already,_ the brunette groaned to himself.

As much as he wanted to trust Setsuna, a part of him knew from the moment she transferred in that she wouldn't hold back her strange quirks even a little bit. He had just hoped that she would at least wait a day or two before pulling anything. Of course that had been squashed the moment she asked him if he heard a piano in the middle of class. While he truly hadn't heard anything he could tell by the look on her face that she had.

Disgruntled, Tsuna flopped his head down onto his desk in an attempt to hide from the twisting glares of his classmates. _It's not my fault she does this!_ he wanted to shout, but instead he settled for attempting to not exist. He silently wished her luck before turning his gaze towards the window. Surely, if he didn't see what was happening it wouldn't be.

"May I be excused?" Setsuna asked quietly as the older man leveled her a scrutinizing look. The blond tried desperately to avoid making a scene, but the class didn't exactly make it the easiest for her. By the time the last word even parted her lips, chatter bubbled to life around her.

This may not have been how she was hoping to spend her first day in a new class, but the ceaseless flow of music was as maddening as it was distracting.

"What seems to be the issue?" the older man demanded with arced brows, obviously having heard of her past transgressions.

"I - uh - " Setsuna's eyes settled on a rather interesting blot on the man's cheap suit. "Have a headache."

His face scrunched with blatant uncertainty. The girl's last teacher had warned him that she ditched a lot, and tended to disrupt class for what appeared to be no good reason - but the more he studied the blonde he realized that something was in fact off about her. Beads of sweat pooled on her forehead, and her amber orbs looked strained and worn.

"Fine," he conceded. "But you are to go straight to the infirmary, am I understood?"

Setsuna's lips set in a firm line, but she gave a slight nod.

"Understood."

With that she pushed away from her desk, and curtly gathered her things before padding somewhat begrudgingly to the door. Sliding into the hallway, the ghost didn't acknowledge Setsuna's presence until the girl tapped lightly on her shoulder.

"Whatever it is you're doing," Setsuna said, containing her irritation with gritted teeth. "Can you please stop it?" Now that Setsuna was right next to the spirit it was obvious that she was the source of the music.

The melody however cut abruptly as the ghost turned ever so slowly to face her.

"_**You... Can... See... Me?**_"

Setsuna mentally sighed at the stereotypical question but nodded all the same. "I can hear you too," she added sarcastically.

The woman's jade orbs widened in shock. "**_How?_**"

"Not quite sure myself," Setsuna muttered, more to herself than the ghost. "But... you can't just sit here and stalk the living. Even if you're related."

Rage soon replaced the sadness that had been on the woman's face. Setsuna stumbled under the weight of it as the emotions barreled against her. Frustration, anger and misery tugged evenly at her chest - as if fighting for her attention.

"Calm down," Setsuna struggled out through the torrent of wills. "I can help... just calm down."

The spirit seemed very content in her tirade however and whipped back towards the window, intent on going back to watching the transfer student. Setsuna let out a mangled breath, and forced her legs to steady. Just how far did this ghost feel like pushing her?

"I promise, I can help," Setsuna placated warily, as she reached for the woman again. The moment her fingers brushed the apparition's shoulder though, vexation wheeled back in full force, except there was a tinge of something else to it this time - fear maybe?

"**_Leave... Me... Alone__!_**"

Before Setsuna had the chance to register the very obvious threat in the woman's eyes, a sickening noise pierced her eardrums. The window the ghost had been peering through just a moment ago shattered into millions of tiny shards. A few stray ones pricked at the blonde's arms but she hardly cared. She barely even had the fight in her to stop the ghost as she sped off into the distance.

"Sawada Setsuna!" the shout of her teacher buzzed numbly from the now gaping space where the window had been. But even that didn't shake her from the shock that settled in her system.

Never before had she seen a ghost that powerful. Sure, she had been approached by a few crazy spirits every so often, but not once had one outright been able to do anything physical - like shatter glass off emotion alone.

"In here now!" came another hiss. Mindlessly, Setsuna glanced up through the wreckage of glass. Aside from the positively furious look on the middle aged man's face she noted the oh so mortified one on her brother's.

_Sorry, Nii-chan..._

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

After the lecture of a lifetime finally came to a close, Setsuna found herself with a pounding migraine, several weeks of detention and an over 12,000 yen fine(*****). Productive day so far if she did say so herself. Even though she technically didn't do anything wrong - what could she have said in her defense?

_'Oh, it wasn't me! A ghost did it because I freaked her out!'_

The blonde scoffed and twirled a golden tendril between her fingers. She still couldn't quite believe what had happened. When she was younger, Giotto had mentioned that the longer a ghost is around the stronger they get. Though at the time she had thought he was only referring to the spirit's presence not their _actual_ strength.

A vast miscalculation on her part.

Maybe it wasn't the most intelligent of ideas to approach just any ghost after all- even if they emitted a rather incessant tune. The blonde crossed her arms indignantly over her chest. None of this was her fault, yet regardless she'd have to pay for it. _Literally_. She didn't have the money to spare, and she felt guilty asking Nana for it. Sure, her father sent money from... wherever the hell he was, but the three of them were stretching it enough as it was.

"Let's go find that Dame-Tsuna," a voice snarled, pulling Setsuna from her thoughts. The blonde snapped to attention at the sound of her brother's name, noticing three exceptionally scummy looking seniors just a little ways in front of her.

"Oh look, there's the other Dame-Twin," another one of the seniors sneered, taking a step towards to her. "Whoa, she's actually kind of cute."

"Don't," the one in the beanie warned. "I heard she'll curse you if you bother her too much."

"Yeah," the first one chimed in. "Should just stick to Dame-Tsuna."

Setsuna quirked a brow at the exchange. She was a Medium, not a Witch or an Occultist. Although, if she could curse them she just _might_. "Have you seen Tsuna-nii?" she asked instead, curious as to why exactly they were targeting him today.

"He rammed into me then ran off," the spiky haired senior seethed. "Probably broke my arm."

"I'm sure," she drawled irritably. "Where exactly did he run off to?"

The senior shrugged, and waved a hand towards the doors that led to the courtyard. "Likely peed his pants and ran home."

Setsuna's amber orbs narrowed dangerously before she turned on a heel. "Thanks I guess," she tossed over her shoulder as she stalked towards the double doors.

The moment she stepped into the courtyard however she had absolutely no idea what was going on. Tsuna was once again in his boxers, and the transfer student was crouched in a dogeza at her brother's feet. Then of course Reborn, trailed by his ghost, stood impassively at Tsuna's side.

"Nii-chan?" Setsuna hastily dashed over to them. "What's going on?"

Tsuna glanced nervously at Gokudera then at his sister. After realizing that all of this Mafia business wasn't going away any time soon, Tsuna had resolved it best not to include Setsuna. The blonde already had enough delusions, he didn't want to give her any more reason to act crazy. Especially after she smashed that window earlier. Which, he still wasn't quite sure how to feel about.

Even if she was just lashing out for being forced to transfer classes it was rather extreme.

So, he stood there completely slack jawed, unsure of how to explain the situation. After all, there were still hundreds of dynamite sticks scattered across the ground. What could he possibly say to justify that?

"Famiglia recruiting," Reborn supplied after a moment.

Setsuna arced two thin eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"N-nothing!" Tsuna stuttered, waving his arms emphatically. "We're... uh just friends, right, Gokudera-kun?"

The silver haired teen jumped up, a smile wide on his face. "You mean it, Juudaime?"

"Juudaime?" confusion twisted Setsuna's features.

Tsuna had no explanation for that one, so he instead gestured for the two to meet each other. Setsuna only shrugged and offered a sheepish grin at Gokudera's excessive formality.

"You're the girl that broke the window earlier," he noted suddenly, covering his shock with feigned awe. "That was awesome."

_And you're the reason the ghost was there in the first place,_ she wanted to say back but bit her tongue, settling for a tamer response. "Thanks."

"Gokudera Hayato," he introduced, straightening from a bow. "Feel free to call me Hayato though."

"Setsuna," she replied simply, taking his extended hand. "You can call me Setsu."

Gokudera beamed and bowed once more. "Nice to meet you, Setsu-hime."

The blonde twitched at the honorific, but the look on his face made it apparent that anything less wasn't an option. Heaving a sigh she glanced over at her brother, who seemed just as mystified at Gokudera's odd sense of nicknames as herself. Well, the guy was from Italy, he may not be used to all of the cultural differences yet.

The light hearted feeling that had fluttered in her chest at the introduction however was quickly replaced with one of trepidation. Sorrowful notes of a piano soon filled her ears, and she immediately went rigid with fear. The nicks on her arms stung slightly at the memory of a certain silver haired spirit.

"Setsu-hime?" Gokudera asked suddenly, his brows furrowing.

Setsuna ignored him though, and scanned fervently for sight of the ghost from before. By the time she noticed her, it was too late.

The woman was perched behind a window directly above them several stories up. Despite the obviously demented look on her face a smile graced her beautiful features. "**_Hayato... Is... Mine..._**"

Then the sound of glass shattering tore through the air once again as a desk was flung through it. Gravity sucked it down quickly, and Setsuna realized it was veering straight for her brother. "Nii-chan!" she exclaimed, diving at him with as much force as she could muster. The next few moments blurred by hazily, and all Setsuna could register was pain.

Pain as she collided into her brother, his bony elbow knocking the wind out of her...

Pain as something heavy and quite hard pinned her legs...

Pain as chunks of glass dug into the already marred flesh of her arms...

Numb and throbbing, she laid there in a hot daze as action swirled around her. At some point Gokudera fished Tsuna out from under her, and the two eventually hefted the desk off her legs. Which had unfortunately been a teacher's desk and was significantly more difficult to handle. When she was finally free of the hunk of wood and metal though the world slipped back to it's normal pace.

"Are you okay, Setsu-chan?" Tsuna's voice bobbed anxiously through her adrenaline riddled senses.

"Nii-chan?" she slurred back, sounding oddly distant. "You're not hurt... are you?"

"N-no," he replied sheepishly. "Thanks to you."

Setsuna hummed contently despite the waves of discomfort that echoed through her limbs - her legs especially.

"How dare someone try to hurt Juudaime? I'll kill them," Gokudera growled, his hands flitting to his pockets - only to find them empty from his fight with Tsuna earlier.

"It might just have been an accident," Tsuna suggested somewhat distractedly. The brunette grimaced as he crouched down next to his sister, still painfully aware that he was in his underwear. "Do you think you can stand?"

Setsuna winced as she attempted to shift her legs. Bruises already littered her calves, but it didn't feel like anything was broken. "I think so..." she trailed off, shoving fruitlessly at the ground. After a moment of struggling however, Tsuna carefully weaved an arm under one of her battered ones and helped her to her feet. Though her weight proved to be a little much for him, and Gokudera rushed to shoulder the other side of her.

With both of their support, they were able to prop her so her feet only had to scrape lightly against the packed dirt. Luckily, Tsuna was a few inches taller than her otherwise things might not have gone so smoothly.

"Thank you," she mumbled wearily as the two essentially carried her. Each gave a grunt of confirmation, somewhat strained from the effort. Guilt laced through the blonde, and she shifted slightly to face her brother. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you earlier..."

"You didn't," he gushed out. "Plus, I'm used to it anyway."

A light smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and she couldn't help but return it.

As they made their way through the courtyard, Setsuna could still hear the mournful notes of the piano lilting in the distance. When she risked a glance back, she saw a fairly content ghost standing in the open wreckage of the window.

_Son of a bitch..._

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the short chapter... I really should be focusing on my short story piece for my Fiction Writing class, but I wanted to get this done so I could focus over the weekend. If I have a free moment I'll try to update next Monday or Tuesday if not this Sunday - but don't get your hopes up on the latter.

I am curious though. Would you guys rather these shorter chapters of 2.7-3k words that I can release twice or more a week, or a chapter of 5-6k that I can do once a week? I assume you'd rather those as opposed to like 10k every two weeks, but if you have an opinion on the matter be sure to let me know!

(***** Roughly calculated to 120 dollars for those of you that don't feel like doing the conversion in your head. Not that I'm an expert or anything so feel free to correct me if you notice a discrepancy...)

Thanks for reading, all of you guys are awesome!


	6. Target Six

**Author's Note: **Hello once again everyone! So, my project for class ended up being significantly less work than I thought it was going to be... which may be why I still haven't done it yet. Procrastination at it's finest! Anyway, I really just wanted to work on this story. I can't get it off my mind. I'm literally starting to dream about it, which is actually kind of creepy.

(Oh my glob thank you for all of your kind reviews on the last chapter. You guys make all of the time I put into this worth it :) Thank you_** lacomptessa**_, _**kristingreen**_, _**thefrozenstrawberry**_, _**Yamiroo Alice**_, _**brokenmaelstorm**_, _**AnimeFreak1145**_, _**tabemono604**_, and _**Sayonara Yasashii Akumu**_ for the support. Internet hugs for all!)

* * *

**Target Six:**

* * *

A hiss escaped Setsuna's already thin lips.

"This hurts more than I thought it would," she admitted somewhat hazily as her mother continued to pluck the jagged shards of glass from her arms.

"What exactly happened again?" Nana asked fretfully, tugging loose another piece with the tweezers. Setsuna glanced behind the older women at the boys behind her. Gokudera was staring at something forlornly while Tsuna just fidgeted awkwardly in place, both a sight with the blood clinging to their shirts.

Setsuna heaved a sigh. "A desk fell through a third story window and landed on me." Even just saying it aloud sounded ridiculous. Out of all of them, she was the only one that really knew what happened, but ultimately the actual explanation would have sounded just as if not more outlandish.

Nana's mouth gaped slightly. "How odd. No one pushed it, I hope?"

At that the blonde could only grimace. "Freak accident," she offered dismissively, despite the pull in her gut that begged to tell the truth.

"Well," Nana pushed up from the table, her daughter finally clean of the broken glass. "I should go get some things to make dinner. Especially with your friend staying over and all."

"You don't - " Gokudera started, but one look from the woman clammed him up.

"I insist," Nana cut him off with a stern huff. "You're the first friend that either of my No-Good children have brought over. This is a special occasion!"

_The first _living_ friend anyway_, Setsuna mused to herself.

Mortified, Tsuna on the other hand could only stare as his mother flitted through the cabinets, a smile wide on her face. While he shouldn't be all that surprised that Nana was willing to talk about his social life so openly he couldn't help but be embarrassed. What if she was that blunt and open with his future wife?

That thought alone was enough to send a shiver down his spine. At least he had a common enemy with Setsuna for once. When his honey eyes finally trailed over to the blonde however he found her smirking to herself - almost as if she enjoyed their mother's eccentricities.

Both women were insane, he decided, and hell bent on making his life as difficult as possible. Despite that though, he couldn't wipe away the smile that quirked on his lips.

"Be back soon!" Nana called from the doorway before slipping behind the shut door.

The moment she was completely gone however a heavy silence bore down on the kitchen. While Reborn had been quiet from the moment they got home, Gokudera was still consumed in his own thoughts it seemed and Tsuna was just too awkward to do anything about it.

First they left all of the explaining to her, now they were going to make things weird as well?

Rolling her amber orbs, Setsuna struggled to her feet. While her bruised legs were still rather shaky she managed for the most part - despite the worry that etched deeper onto Gokudera and Tsuna's already anxious features. Before the blonde could find a way to break the hush, Gokudera shot forward at the waist in a haphazard bow.

"Juudaime, forgive me! It is all my fault that Setsu-hime was injured," the silver haired teen proclaimed, guilt apparent in his strained voice.

Setsuna regarded him with a furtive glance. Surely, he didn't know about the ghost following him. Unless of course he could see them too?

"It's no one's fault," Tsuna insisted quickly, off put by Gokudera's sudden plea for forgiveness. "Like Setsu-chan said, it was just a freak accident."

"But it _is_ my fault," Gokudera pressed, his face tight in an attempt to hold in the emotions broiling underneath the surface. When Tsuna opened his mouth to respond, Gokudera added miserably, "I'm cursed."

Wringing his hands irritably, Gokudera ignored the onslaught of memories that began to berate him.

_'Stay away from our Famiglia!'_

_'You only bring pain wherever you go!"_

_'We don't need someone like you around here!'_

The words he had heard a million times from the different Famiglias over the years were just as clear as they days he had heard them. Not a single one of them ever accepted him. Because no matter where he went these _freak accidents_ would occur until eventually someone got hurt.

He should have known better than to bother another Famiglia - especially one as great as the Vongola. After this he would likely be black balled indefinitely. Not only had he failed to be the one to protect the Boss, he had allowed the Boss's sister to take the hit in his place.

When Tsuna finally did respond, Gokudera was tensed for the rejection, but instead of the harsh words all he got was a snort and a chuckle. "There's no such thing as curses, Gokudera-kun."

"But I - "

"It's fine, Hayato-kun," Setsuna cut him off, unable to take the blatant agony he was trying so desperately to hide any longer. "Even if you were cursed - _which you're not_ - we wouldn't care."

Gokudera glanced pointedly at the crimson liquid still trickling from the open gashes on her arms and the bruises consuming the visible pale skin of her legs.

Following his gaze, the blonde scoffed slightly. "Nothing is your fault, Hayato-kun, so just drop it."

Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, Gokudera finally relaxed a little bit. This was the first time he had been welcomed after an incident, and he had to admit... it felt nice.

"Thank you, Juudaime," Gokudera beamed at the brunette, before regarding the blonde with a softer expression. "And you too, Setsu-hime."

Setsuna once again twitched at the honorific, but grinned back sheepishly.

The light hearted warmth that had settled in the air shattered almost immediately though, as a certain Hitman broke his self imposed silence.

"I'd like to speak with Setsuna alone," the toddler declared, drawing every ounce of attention in the room.

Tsuna swallowed back the sudden lump in his throat, unsure of how to respond. The first night he and Reborn spoke about the Mafia, Tsuna had insisted firstly of course that he wanted nothing to do with it and secondly that Setsuna not be included in whatever antics the toddler felt like cooking up.

While the brunette would be the first to admit that he wasn't exactly the best older brother, deep down he worried about his sister all the time. Clearly, Reborn wasn't the sanest of company either, and Tsuna really didn't want Setsuna to spiral even deeper into the problems she already seemed to be having.

The two of them alone only sounded like trouble in the making. Not to mention he couldn't even fathom what they would have to talk about aside from comparing theories on how to further terrorize him.

When Reborn noticed Tsuna's blatant disregard of his wishes, the toddler brandished his gun. "I'd like to speak with Setsuna alone," he repeated unnecessarily, though his words held a lot more weight once accompanied by a pistol.

Despite himself Tsuna let out a squeal before giving in. With Gokudera in tow, the brunette muttered something about giving the silver haired teen a tour of the house.

Once the boys were out of earshot, Setsuna arced a curious brow at the Hitman. This was the first time they had been alone since she told him about her being a Medium. She had begun to wonder if he had really believed her after all, or if he had just said he did to placate her. Although, for the life of her she couldn't quite understand why.

"What is it?" she asked after a beat, unease growing unbearable in the pit of her stomach.

"There's a ghost targeting Tsuna, isn't there?" Reborn cut right to the chase.

Setsuna's eyes widened in surprise. So the toddler really had believed her after all? An odd feeling she couldn't pinpoint tugged at her chest. Hearing someone else mention ghosts aloud was both terrifying and relieving at the same time. It was as if someone was screaming her secret for everyone to hear, but simultaneously confirming that she wasn't some delusional freak.

Although, her lack of response did little for the scowl on Reborn's lips.

"Sorry," she apologized quickly with a shake of her head. "The ghost doesn't seem to be targeting him specifically. Looks more like she's after Hayato-kun and anyone that gets close to him than anything else." The pained look that had crossed Gokudera's features earlier flashed unbidden across her mind. Just how many people had this ghost driven away from him over the years?

The thought of it made Setsuna's jaw clench tight.

"Thought so," Reborn hummed. "The ghost is a _she_ you said?"

"A woman," she clarified. "Probably related to Hayato-kun somehow... the resemblance is undeniable."

Reborn ducked under his fedora, masking his soft features beneath the shadow. "I see."

"Do you know who she is?" Setsuna demanded, sensing that Reborn knew more than he was letting on.

"Possibly," he replied cryptically, causing the blonde to give an incredulous snort. "Have you tried talking to her?"

"Yeah," Setsuna crossed her arms. "Little good that did. I mean, I can try again, but I have a sneaking suspicion that would only end in even more broken windows."

"Until you convince her to leave, you have to watch over them before she does anything more drastic."

"Already on it."

An amused smirk tugged at the toddler's lips beneath the shadow. "You may have your uses after all."

_Was that supposed to be a compliment?_ Setsuna wondered as she watched the toddler with narrowed eyes. Sensing that it was probably the best she would ever get from him she steeled a small grin.

"Now, if you'll excuse me I have some calls to make," Reborn turned on a heel, the ghost chained to his back bobbing dutifully behind him.

"Wait," Setsuna's voice called before she could reign it in.

"What?"

"Nothing... never mind..."

Obsidian orbs snapped up to meet amber, and the blonde was taken aback by the sudden intensity there. "What?" he pressed again.

"You never told me what it is you are," Setsuna voiced the very thought that hadn't left her mind since their conversation. At the time she had been so caught up in the prospect of someone actually believing her secret that she forgot to ask about his own. After all, she still had no idea just what he was. Because he most definitely wasn't an infant or an adult.

Sure, he had proved that he meant her brother no harm - well, _permanent_ harm anyway - but that did little to quell the curiosity and distrust that had come to form in her mind.

"Nor do I plan to," Reborn answered icily.

"But, I told you what I am, it's only fair that you - "

"I promised nothing," he mimicked her exact words from their last encounter.

Setsuna's lips pressed into a firm line.

Even though Reborn had enlightened her on the Dying Will Bullet, he didn't feel it was his responsibility to usher her into the Mafia as a whole. Especially considering that both Iemitsu, and now even Tsuna, preferred her to stay out of it. Someone like Nana he could understand keeping out of the loop, as her very innocence and happiness lie in the balance, but Setsuna was quite a different case.

The girl was definitely stronger than her brother and father gave her credit for. Not to mention she was also a Medium, and had probably seen more than her fair share of disturbing images over the years. Obviously none of her family knew the truth about her, otherwise they wouldn't be trying to keep her so blissfully ignorant.

Despite their wishes though, Setsuna was catching on fast - so much so that Reborn had to wonder if she saw more with those eyes of her's than just ghosts. Regardless, he would bring this up with Nono and ask for the man's opinion. Surely, _he_ would know what to do with her.

"Maybe another time," Reborn mused aloud after a moment, before sauntering away.

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

The next few days went by without a hitch. The ghost hadn't shown up again, and everything slipped into an almost _normal_ routine. Well, as normal as life could get for a Medium and a future Mafia Boss.

When the bell for lunch finally rang above the chatter in the classroom, Setsuna glanced up to see Tsuna standing in front of her desk.

"Nii-chan?" she asked, confusion thick in her voice. Usually Tsuna never approached her at school, in fact she was pretty sure he actively avoided her. "Do you need something?"

The brunette fidgeted slightly, his hands knotting anxiously in front of him. "I - uh -"

"What?" concern began to constrict in her chest. "Is something wrong?"

"N-no!" he exclaimed, waving his hands dismissively. "G-Gokudera-kun and I were going to have lunch on the r-roof and he thought, well, we thought... I mean... do you want to join us?"

Despite herself, a smile wormed it's way onto Setsuna's face. "I have lunch up there every day anyway."

"Oh," Tsuna said simply, somewhat dejected.

"But I'd love to sit with you guys," she added quickly, an amused smirk twisting on her features. Tsuna returned a small smile before trailing back to his desk to collect his things. Once they all had their belongings the three met up in the hallway.

"Hello, Hayato-kun," Setsuna greeted him with a wave.

Gokudera bent at the waist. "Good afternoon, Setsu-hime." Like they had since the other day, his stormy green orbs quickly scanned the still healing injuries that littered her body. Guilt instantly colored his features, and once again he wrung his hands, in dire need of a smoke.

Anger twisted in Setsuna's chest, and for once she actually wished for the ghost to show up so she could find a way to get rid of her. Even though the blonde had no idea what was tying the ghost here, maybe she could talk some sense into her. While most spirits required their last will to be carried out there were always the odd ones that simply getting through to would set them straight.

After a few minutes the three of them finally reached the roof, and relief instantly seeped into Setsuna at the sight of the familiar territory. It was also an exceptionally nice day outside. From the high spot above Namimori Middle, all that could be seen was the cerulean scape that stretched from one end to the other.

"Whoa," Tsuna gasped, taken aback by the beauty of it.

Setsuna beamed at her brother, glad that he could appreciate it. "Best seats in the house, huh?"

"Yeah," Tsuna shook his head in utter disbelief. Then the three of them found a particularly sun-warmed spot and set to eating lunch. An awkward silence soon fell on the group however, as all of them weren't exactly used to eating with company. Thankfully, Gokudera took it upon himself to ease the tension. Unfortunately though, the silver haired teen had little to talk about aside from the maintenance and manufacture of different explosives. Setsuna wondered offhandedly why he knew so much, but chalked it up to him just being an enthusiast.

Despite the awkward tension of it though, Setsuna had to admit it actually felt nice to eat with other people. As far as she could remember back she had never really had friends at school. In elementary school she had spent more time with the dead than the living. A few times she even coaxed Giotto into joining her, but he never could stay long, and she was always left feeling lonelier than before.

As much as she wanted to be mad at Tsuna for waiting so long to actually approach her at school she couldn't really blame him. He had enough bullies of his own following him, there was no need to add her's on top of it. Vice versa of course as well. In the end, both had been so concerned with not bothering the other, that they kind of forgot to spend any time together.

Who knew all it took was a near death experience and a 'cursed' transfer student to get them to actually talk to each other?

Setsuna wasn't about to thank the ghost for that however. After all the spirit had attempted to murder her brother, hurt her in the process, garnered her weeks of detention, a ridiculous fine, and to top it off tortured an innocent guy to the point where he believed he was cursed and didn't deserve to have friends.

The blonde's face was getting hot just thinking about it. If any ghost deserved being put to rest it was this one.

So, when the sound of a piano danced through the air above the roof, adrenaline spiked white hot in Setsuna's veins.

Tsuna instantly noticed his sister go rigid. "What's wrong, Setsu-chan?"

"I... I'll be right back," she mumbled, pushing up from her spot.

"If there is something wrong," Gokudera said quickly, an oddly protective edge to his voice. "Be sure to tell me and I'll take care of it right away."

"Thanks, but everything is fine..."

On the small stretch of roof, the ghost stood out like a sore thumb, and was thankfully out of earshot from the guys. Her waist-length silver locks twisted down her back, and her icy jade eyes looked like that of a predatory feline.

"Welcome back," Setsuna greeted the spirit, hiding her fear behind a haphazard mask of confidence. "Tossing a desk on me not enough for you?"

"**_Hayato..._**" the ghost moaned woefully, sending waves of trepidation through Setsuna. The Medium stood her ground this time, expecting the acute onslaught of emotions that the ghost had to throw at her.

"You can't do this anymore," Setsuna told her through gritted teeth. "You're ruining his life. He even thinks he's cursed."

"**_Hayato... Is... Mine..._**"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Setsuna realized this was going nowhere fast. "I don't know anything about your relationship with him, but I can tell you care. Remember when you were alive... I doubt you would have done anything to hurt him if you could prevent it."

At that, a look of guilt and dissension lashed out at the woman's face. Like last time, before Setsuna could register the shift of danger, the spirit snaked a grip around each of the blonde's biceps.

The skin beneath the woman's fingers seared sickeningly, and Setsuna swore she could smell burning flesh.

"**_Stay... Away... From... My... Son..._**"

_Son?_ Setsuna rolled the word around her mind as if she didn't understand what it meant. _Oh fuck..._

Before Setsuna could think on that any further, the woman slammed her into the fencing that surrounded the edges of the roof. The blonde's thoughts fluttered into absolute disarray as pain prickled across her thin frame. The still aching bruises on her legs screamed in protest, while the cuts on her arms thudded back to life. But above the echoes of their last encounter what was at the forefront of her mind was the increasingly intense burning sensation coming from her biceps.

Setsuna struggled against the grip, but the spirit pressed her even harder into the fence. "**_Stay... Away..._**"

Aside from the physical assault, the ghost's emotions still lashed out at Setsuna incessantly. Rage and devastation swirled endlessly inside of her. A thick haze even entangled Setsuna's thoughts as the feelings that weren't her's consumed the world in a tinge of red.

"Setsu-hime!" Gokudera's agitated voice swam through the haze. Tsuna's voice soon joined the other, and the two were calling out to her.

_Don't come over here!_ Setsuna wanted to shout, but found the words stuck in her throat.

At the sound of her son's voice though, the ghost released the blonde and whipped around in time to see the boys curbing to a stop just a few feet away. Setsuna slacked with relief, her body giving in to the waves of pain that continued to course through her.

"What happened?" Gokudera demanded, rushing to her side.

"I just tripped..." Setsuna lied quickly, her amber orbs glaring at the ghost that was still perched in front of her.

"But you're bleeding and - " Tsuna trailed off worriedly, eyes intent on the angry burns that covered her arms.

"Freak accident," Setsuna offered again. Tsuna only continued to stare dubiously, while Gokudera looked devastatingly guilty. "This isn't your fault either, Hayato-kun."

Gokudera grit his teeth, unable to say anything. After the few days without incident he had hoped that his stupid curse had gone away, but he couldn't believe it. Even when they accepted him, the people around him were doomed to these accidents no matter what.

"I'm sorry," Gokudera eventually choked out.

"Not your fault," Setsuna insisted once more, but it might as well have fallen on deaf ears.

Aside from Gokudera though, someone else looked just as if not even more guilty - his mother. The woman peered between her son and the blonde before turning away. As the ghost disappeared in the distance, one last emotion pulled at Setsuna: _remorse_.

* * *

******-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Character development and focus up the wazoo this chapter. Sorry if it was boring or anything, but I felt it necessary to establish some things. Not really my favorite chapter, but I hope you guys didn't hate it too much.

(By the way, for those of you that haven't read my other KHR stories - I follow the manga canon as opposed to the anime. While this is less of a preference thing, and more of a _I-haven't-seen-the-anime_ thing I hope that you're not too disappointed if you see a part from the anime omitted here. Even aside from that, I'm not going to include the parts that would only be redundant or just simply unimportant. However, it would be correct to assume that they still happened in this universe.)

Thanks for reading! Hope to see you again soon :)


	7. Target Seven

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the really late chapter. I wrote this a bunch of times, and I'm still not too sure how I feel about it. I guess writer's block is my punishment for putting my project off for so long. I've pissed off the writing gods it seems D:

(Wow, ton of feedback last chapter. Don't know what I did to deserve such awesome readers :) Thanks **_MidnightMirror_**, **_kristingreen_**, **_YamirooAlice_**, **_Animefreak1145_**, **_angelcorus_**, **_tabemono604_**, **_brokenmaelstorm_**, **_Inveigler_**, **_Ice queen_**, **_Haddleigh_ **(_oh my glob! you didn't have to do that much, but thank you!_), and **_Sayonara Yasashii Akumu_** for reviewing. You guys seriously made my week. Glad to see some new faces as well!)

* * *

**Target Seven:**

* * *

_She could have killed me_, Setsuna realized as she stared at the bowed shape the fence had taken since she had been slammed into it.

While there had yet to be an incident because of it, the teachers had insisted that no one go up on the roof until the fencing be replaced as it had become brittle with age. Until now, she hadn't really believed there even was a problem to begin with, but now that she could see the very real possibility of falling her toes clutched anxiously at the sturdy ground beneath her.

"Are you sure you're okay, Setsu-chan?" Tsuna asked, as she still had yet to steady completely.

Since her 'fall' all of Setsuna's injuries roared back to life at full force.

Every step sent new waves of pain up her battered legs, and the reopened scabs on her arms were vivid with fresh crimson. As much as it hurt, she also covered the burns on her biceps with crossed arms. They were very obviously hand shaped, and would raise unnecessary questions if people were to see them.

Thankfully, when Tsuna had seen them at first her sleeves had shielded them for the most part, but every few seconds Setsuna noticed his eyes drifting towards them.

"I'm fine, Nii-chan," she insisted, although truly she wasn't. She was trying her best to put on a tough face to keep Tsuna and Gokudera calm, but on the inside she was absolutely freaking out.

Not only had she almost died for the second time this week, but somehow the ghost had burned her with a simple touch. Never before had she met a spirit capable of making music, breaking glass, throwing things or burning people. All of this was new to her - and quite frankly it was terrifying.

On multiple occasions now she could have easily died. Had she been a foot to the left. Had the ghost felt so inclined to push rather than grab her. Such simple things really had been the difference between life and death.

_You have more important things to focus on_, Setsuna reminded herself before the growing fear could consume her completely.

During their exchange, the woman had revealed that she was in fact Gokudera's mother. Deep down, Setsuna had suspected as much but now that she knew it to be true, it was utterly heart wrenching. Despite her reluctance to face the apparition again, she was determined now more than ever to help her move on.

When she thought about it though, it was obvious that Setsuna's attempts at placating the spirit thus far had been the wrong way to go about things. While all some spirits needed was a little therapy session, there were those, like the little girl she had helped the other day, that required a more hands on approach. Every ghost had something that was keeping them here - whether it be a mental or a physical problem.

Setsuna just had to figure out what this specific one's trouble seemed to be, and who better to ask than the ghost's own son?

"Hayato-kun?" the blonde called out, as the group migrated back towards where their lunches had been laid out. The silver haired boy quickly whirled to face her. The moment their eyes met however, his jade orbs were taut with a wild mix of emotions. Pity instantly laced through Setsuna's veins, and she couldn't deny the anger that was beginning to boil inside her.

"Yes, Setsu-hime?" he strained out, still as overly courteous as always.

"Do you think we could talk... alone?"

A sudden blush dusted his cheeks. "I-if Juudaime says it's okay."

Tsuna quirked a brow at that, having not paid attention to the conversation. "What?"

"Can I talk to Hayato-kun alone?" Setsuna relayed, simultaneously irritated and amused at the notion. "Apparently we need your permission."

Tsuna eyed them both skeptically.

Lately, everyone seemed to be having private conversations with Setsuna. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have thought much of it. But, as he didn't want to bother her with all this Mafia insanity he didn't really trust anyone from the Mafia alone with her.

A haphazard chuckle escaped the brunette's lips.

After all this time, it seemed his protective older brother instincts were finally kicking in. Too bad it was, you know, _after_ his sister already went off the deep end.

"Go ahead," Tsuna drawled after a second. Regardless of his hesitation on the matter however, he'd already mentioned to Gokudera not to bring up anything Mafia related around Setsuna. Even though he hadn't really known Gokudera all that long, for some reason he felt that he could trust him.

"A-are you sure, Juudaime?" Gokudera sputtered. Usually in a Famiglia, the Boss's blood relatives were held in ridiculously high esteem. To be trusted enough to actually be alone with someone like the Boss's sibling was an honor Gokudera had never really been granted.

When Tsuna gave a bewildered nod, Gokudera looked ready to burst from happiness. "Thank you, Juudaime!"

Setsuna watched the scene fretfully, an errant feeling blooming in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't too sure why Gokudera seemed so excited at the prospect of a private conversation, but it only made it that much harder when she remembered just what they were going to discuss.

So, when the bell for the end of lunch period pierced the air, Setsuna actually heaved a sigh of relief.

Gokudera on the other hand looked positively crestfallen.

"We can talk another time," she offered sheepishly at the pout on his face. Maybe it was for the best that he not be included in this after all...

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

Even though Setsuna knew it was probably a bad idea to skip the rest of the school day along with detention, she hardly found it in herself to care.

No matter what she did her limbs echoed with pain at the slightest provocation. Not to mention she wanted to cover the burns as quickly as possible. Even if Tsuna wasn't outwardly voicing his suspicions or concerns over them, his furrowed brows whenever he glanced her direction was difficult to ignore.

Just this morning Tsuna had finally approached her at school, yet all too soon the wall that separated them slipped back into place. If it weren't for Gokudera they likely wouldn't have even had lunch together to begin with.

Sighing, Setsuna studied her handiwork in the mirror.

A thin layer of gauze was tied loosely on each of her arms, from wrist to shoulder. While she had to admit it made the injuries look worse than they actually were it was the only way to cover the burns without looking too suspicious.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she trudged out of the bathroom and down the stairs. Before she could really even tell where she was going she found herself once again on the porch. Whenever something was bothering her she always ended up on the same familiar stretch of wood.

Despite herself, she half expected to see Giotto perched at the edge, swinging his tiny legs like he had in his child form - but years of lonely disappointments had prepared her for the empty yard that greeted her.

Plopping onto the rickety boards, she tuned her ears to the noises drifting in the mid afternoon breeze. After such an eventful day it felt nice to just _do nothing_.

But her solitude was quickly disturbed at the arrival of a certain spiky haired spirit.

"Rough day?" he asked sheepishly as he materialized in front of her. Setsuna started at the sight, jumping near completely out of her skin.

Muttering a string of curses at the biting pain that blossomed across her body, she restrained the strong urge to slap her great-great-great-grandfather upside the head.

"Whoa, are you okay?" Giotto crouched to inspect the purple marks that dotted her thin legs.

"Define _okay_," she grunted.

At that Giotto scowled, taking note of her bandaged arms. "What happened?"

"I fell," she offered lamely, hoping he would accept her excuse as simply as the other two had. Instead however, he hadn't believed her for even a second.

"And you get on my case for hiding things from you," he teased delicately, as if he was afraid to push her too far. "Now really, what happened? This looks more severe than the your typical bout of bullying."

Memories of the few beatings she had gotten in her youth reeled across her mind. Before people at school had become afraid of her, they had taken to bashing her around when they could. Whenever she was particularly upset about it, Giotto would show up to comfort her.

Letting out a pent up breath, Setsuna rolled the tension off her shoulders. "I got into a fight with a ghost... and the ghost won."

"A ghost did this to you?" he arced an incredulous brow.

"Yeah," Setsuna anxiously wrung her hands as Giotto sat down next to her. "I've never met a spirit this strong before. If she wanted to she easily could have killed me twice now..."

Giotto stiffened at the thought. "Why don't you just leave this one alone? You don't have to help every wandering spirit you meet, Setsu-chan."

Groaning, she eased her back onto deck. "If only it were that easy. I can't leave her alone because I'm not the one seeking her out. She's the one that keeps attacking us."

"Us?"

"Tsuna and I," she clarified quickly, much to Giotto's dismay. "For some reason she targets anyone that gets close to her son - and guess who made his first friend?"

Giotto's lips pressed into a firm line.

While he had expected Tsuna's life to get more hectic with the gathering of his Guardians, he hadn't however expected him to garner the attention of a vengeful spirit. The blonde wondered offhandedly what Guardian he had attained first, but had a sneaking suspicion it was G's reincarnation. Even in another life he was pretty sure G would be pissed if he hadn't cinched the position as second in command.

The memory of his closest adviser left Giotto nostalgic and wistful. _Not the time_, he reminded himself dully, forcing his attention back to Setsuna.

"So, what're you going to do, Setsu-chan?"

"I honestly don't know," she admitted thoughtfully. "I should be at school watching over Tsuna-nii and Hayato-kun right now, but I had to cover these burns before either of them could notice them."

His amber orbs narrowed dangerously. "Burns?"

Setsuna shook her head, sending her flaxen locks into disarray. "When the ghost grabbed me, I don't know how she did it, but she actually burnt my skin."

"You really should stay away from this one," he warned after a moment, his voice thin and stripped of emotion.

"I can't," she insisted. "If I don't do anything she'll keep going after Nii-chan... Not to mention what she's doing to her own son is just plain awful. The poor kid thinks he's cursed."

Giotto hummed in the back of his throat. "At least try to avoid direct contact with her if you can. Those burns can get pretty nasty."

"What even are they?" Setsuna wondered aloud, pushing back into a sitting position. "Can all ghosts do it?"

"Only ones that mean to harm people," he replied somewhat vaguely. "I told you in the past that the longer a spirit is around the stronger they get, but that's really only half right. Usually with time comes bitterness. The closer a spirit gets to completely losing their sanity the more they despise the living, and with that they become what you might know as a Poltergeist - a spirit with physical abilities. If the one you're talking about still has a normal form then they're likely on the borderline of completely making the transformation."

Setsuna absorbed his explanation with a mute sense of fascination and growing trepidation. "So, Hayato-kun's mother will become a Poltergeist if I don't find a way to free her?" she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Heaving a sigh, Giotto downcast his eyes. "That wasn't necessarily what I wanted you to take from that, but ultimately yes."

Tugging at her hair, Setsuna gave a mangled groan. "Now I really can't leave her alone, can I?"

Giotto regarded her with a sideways glance before drooping in defeat. He never could deter _Her_, so he wasn't quite sure why he thought her reincarnation would be any different. "I guess not," he finally agreed. "It's a little late to ask you to be careful now though, isn't it?"

"A little," she conceded. "But to be fair, there wasn't much I could do about having a desk thrown on me."

"A des - never mind," Giotto shook his head. "I'm sure I don't want to know."

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

The next day at school Setsuna had hell to pay for ditching out the day before. The stunt had garnered her an extension on her detentions, and of course the permanent distrust of her teachers.

From this point on, school was going to just be an eternal damnation. All because Gokudera's mother felt like being an annoying bitch. Sure, Setsuna assumed the woman was probably a really nice lady in her own right, but after everything she had been put through in the past week calling her a bitch made her feel _a hair_ better about the situation.

Well, as good as she could feel about a ghost haunting all of her son's friends until he was left to utterly self-loathing solitude.

So, when Setsuna found herself in the middle of absolutely mind numbing detention, she was pissed off, irritable and aching all over.

So far, today was just not her day.

That morning Reborn had completely ignored her, disappointed in her for leaving her post of watching over Tsuna and Gokudera. Then at lunch, even though Tsuna and Gokudera had offered to sit with her again she got called to the principal's office to further discuss her _sentence_. At least Gokudera's mother hadn't shown up again, but Setsuna couldn't decide whether that was a good or a bad thing.

Leaning into her upraised palm, the blonde peered out through the window. It really was such a nice day outside. A shame she had to spend the next few hours in this forsaken classroom. Hell, even the teacher on watch didn't want to be here. The man's snores were just as maddening as the detention itself she decided.

Ignoring the twitch that had started to form in her eye, Setsuna searched for something more interesting on the school grounds. Classes had let out long ago, and for once the place was empty for the most part. While she had to admit it made the school have a peaceful kind of air to it, it was also strangely eerie. Especially when she knew that ghosts often walked the halls.

Amber orbs wandering over towards the field, Setsuna didn't quite realize what she was seeing until an all too familiar chill raked her frame.

It seemed most of the team had already left, but there was one person left on the field, practicing his pitching. Even from this distance Setsuna could recognize who it was. _Yamamoto Takeshi_. The popular, happy go lucky, jock that everyone seemed to fawn over. Even teachers - despite his less than stellar grades.

While she hadn't had a class with him since elementary school, his reputation was one anyone in Namimori had heard of. '_He'll be famous one day!_' she remembered an older woman say once. Honestly, Setsuna wouldn't doubt it. In this world the ones that typically excelled were those graced with luck, which Yamamoto seemed to have no limit of. Both in the genes department and just in general.

Basically, he was the type of person the blonde hated the most. But no matter what her feelings were towards him she wouldn't wish on him what was about to happen.

In the distance the scene unfolded as if in slow motion.

As Yamamoto bent to pick up the next baseball, someone appeared beside him. A woman from the looks of it. With billowing dark hair, and what appeared to be strikingly bright crimson eyes. Unbeknownst to him, as he wheeled his arm back for the next pitch the ghost reached forward and gripped his throwing arm. With one hand on his forearm and another on his wrist, she snapped his arm up like a twig.

When the boy fell to his knees, nursing his now broken arm, the spirit gave a sickeningly sweet smile before disappearing in a twist of shadow.

Setsuna rushed to the window, unable to tear her eyes away from the baseball field. Had she really seen that right? There was no way that just happened...

_I'm just seeing things_, she attempted to dissuade herself, but it was hard the ignore the boy currently writhing in pain on the ground. _Why is no one helping him?_

Then she remembered that most people were gone by now, including club members. Heaving a sigh, Setsuna's eyes slid over towards the passed out man at the front of the classroom.

_This is a really bad idea_, she noted immediately - but that did little to stop her as she snuck out the open door.

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note: **So, in the end I actually kind of veered away from what I originally planned to do with this chapter. While I'm not wholly sure if I liked the way it came out I think this was the best version out of all the ones I wrote.

(I know it may have been somewhat jarring to introduce Yamamoto and yet another ghost while we're still knee deep in Gokudera's troubles, but for the timeline of things to work along with not disturbing canon too immensely events have to overlap a little bit. I hope it wasn't too out of place. If it was be sure to let me know so I can edit at a later date to make the transition more smooth.)

Thanks for reading! See you again soon! :D


	8. Target Eight

**Author's Note: **I can't really explain why but my writing feels different this chapter. Technically, I know I didn't do anything fundamentally different, I just get an odd feeling from it. Ah, whatever. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter regardless!

(Thank you **_Lover's Red Rose_**, **_Yamiroo Alice_**, **_tabemono604_**, **_Ice Queen_**,**_ MusicofMadness_**, _**AnimeFreak1145**_, **_brokenmaelstrom_**, and **_Sayonara Yasashii Akumu_** for reviewing despite the atrocity that was chapter seven...)

* * *

**Target Eight:**

* * *

Setsuna had to admit that up close it didn't look even remotely as severe as it had from across the campus.

Regardless, it was _bad_, but not the disgustingly bone-shattering injury she had expected it to be. Still fatal for an athlete of course, but not nearly so for a normal break.

"Wh-who are you?" came the disgruntled voice of the athlete in question. His raven hair was damp with sweat, sprouting out at impossible angles and his hazel orbs were cloudy with pain. "Wait... I know you."

"I'm the girl that destroyed the window the other day," she supplied, recalling that he was in 1-A as well.

Recognition brightened his eyes a bit, but there was an edging darkness to them that only seemed to grow with every passing second.

"Ah," he said simply, not the most eloquent in his current state. "You're Tsuna's sister."

"Yeah," Setsuna gave a slight nod. "I came over when I noticed... you... fell."

Looks of frustration and embarrassment flashed respectively across his pointed features, but eventually only a hollow one settled in their wake. "Sorry for troubling you," Yamamoto apologized quickly, taking note of the heavy rise and fall of her chest. The blonde had likely spotted him from a distance and sprinted the whole way.

"No trouble," she huffed dismissively, although her lack of adequate oxygen at the moment betrayed her.

An awkward silence soon engulfed the air around them, as both teens were deeply engrossed in their own thoughts. Yamamoto's mind twisted with self depreciation, while Setsuna still grasped to make sense of the situation.

Under normal circumstances, ghosts weren't able to physically do what the dark haired one did to Yamamoto. The only reason Gokudera's mother was able to do anything was due to the fact that the woman was apparently on the verge of becoming a Poltergeist. Other ghosts however, could only touch Setsuna. So either there was another near Poltergeist haunting Namimori Middle, or Yamamoto was a Medium like her.

Unfortunately however, the former seemed vastly more probable.

Heaving an exasperated sigh at the thought, Setsuna extended a hand to the still crouched athlete. "We should probably get you to a hospital."

Yamamoto only stared at her hand, as if he didn't recognize the gesture. Then, after a moment, he slipped his much larger hand into her own, and let her pull him to his feet. In seconds, he was towering over her, despite the slouch from the injured limb he held clutched to his side.

Setsuna feeling somewhat inferior all of a sudden, internally cursed the raven for his superior gene-pool. Even though she felt exceptionally bad for the guy - his Baseball career was either going to end or be put on an indefinite hold - she couldn't deny the fact that he was still one of her least favorite types of people.

Regardless of her opinion on him though, no one deserved to be attacked by something they couldn't see. "So, what even happened?" she inquired surreptitiously, as the two trudged over to the dugout to gather his belongings. Although, what she really meant by the question was: '_what do you _think_ happened?_'

A low groan threatened to escape Yamamoto's lips. "I overdid it," he admitted begrudgingly, more to himself than to the blonde.

All his life, he had been able to handle whatever amount of practice he put himself through. Sure, he had pulled a muscle here and there or came home with a few bumps and bruises, but this felt hauntingly different. As desperately as he had been avoiding the realization - he already knew his arm was broken, and with it any hope of being a starting Regular this season.

Noticing his increasingly dismal aura, Setsuna grimaced. "Sorry," she offered, at a loss for words. Despite herself, she was slightly taken aback by his shift in attitude. While justified, it was still odd to see someone usually so cheerful suddenly devoid of emotion.

Yamamoto only volunteered a weak grin in response along with a half hearted shrug. "Don't worry about it."

That only made Setsuna feel worse though.

For the majority of her life, Setsuna had always pitied the dead more than the living - but with Gokudera and Yamamoto being terrorized by the company she typically preferred as of late, she had to admit that ghosts could be just as sadistic as their living counterparts.

Somehow, she felt oddly responsible for the spirits' actions. As if she had some hand in the suffering they caused because she was the only one that _could_ stop them.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Setsuna returned her focus to Yamamoto. Whom was currently struggling to lift a duffel bag with his left hand. "Allow me," she dashed forward, before he could frustrate himself even further. Ignoring the protests across her body where her own wounds still lingered, she hefted the ridiculously large bag onto her shoulder.

Yamamoto opened his mouth to argue, but one curt glare from the blonde impelled him to close it.

"Let's get you to the hospital," the blonde grunted, turning away before he could see her brows crease under the weight of more than just his bag.

* * *

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

Thankfully, Namimori was a relatively small town - otherwise Setsuna might very well have lost her sanity on the way to the hospital.

Yamamoto didn't seem to be in much of a mood for small talk though.

Usually, she wouldn't have minded all that much, but as the walk itself was agonizing, she would have been thankful for even the mildest of distractions. A simple '_nice weather we're having today_,' would have gone a long way. But, no, apparently the possibility of breaking his arm clammed him up for the entirety of the trip.

Not that she could really blame him or anything.

If there was something she had poured all of her time and effort into, and suddenly something completely out of her control happened that made it impossible to continue she was pretty sure she would be in a bad mood too.

Empathy aside though, it did little to console the bubbling, anxious pit her stomach had become.

So, when they finally reached the entrance to the Urgent Care facility, Setsuna's body sagged with relief.

Her thin frame was still very much so battered from her encounters with Gokudera's mother, and in retrospect maybe she shouldn't have pushed herself by carrying a duffel bag, full of who knows what, several blocks to help out a guy she barely even knew - or liked for that matter.

As much as she wanted to just leave him to his own devices, being a Medium had essentially hardwired her to be utterly unable to ignore someone in need. Even if the person in need was a jock that coasted through life on the coattails of the luck graced to them at birth.

The fact that he was attacked by a possible Poltergeist also made her feel somewhat obligated to watch over him. For all she knew, the second she turned her back, the apparition could return and snap his neck as simply as she had his arm.

Speaking of which, Reborn was probably going to tear her a new one for not watching over Tsuna and Gokudera yet another day in a row. But what was she supposed to do when someone else was getting attacked right in front of her?

Letting out a mangled sigh, Setsuna plopped the duffel unceremoniously onto the ground. "Do you think you can manage from here?" she asked despite her better judgement. A voice in the back of her mind warned her not to leave Yamamoto alone right now, but for the life of her she couldn't justify actually going into the hospital.

The time she had the misfortune of visiting one in her youth, ended up being one of the most exhaustingly daunting experiences of her entire life. Spirits clung to hospitals like nowhere else. They wandered the halls, mixing seamlessly in with the living, and if even one of them caught wind of her being a Medium they would crowd around her like some celebrity.

Ultimately it wasn't worth the trouble - but something in Yamamoto's eyes was pleading wordlessly with her. For what, she couldn't quite tell.

"Oh," Yamamoto's mouth gaped open. "Yeah, I can." He attempted to stifle the tension with a chuckle, but it only came out as a shaky rumble. Even with a smile on his face his hazel orbs were still sharp and dangerously narrow.

Setsuna arced a thin brow. "On second thought, I can stay until one of your parents gets here. You said you could call your dad right?"

Yamamoto nodded somewhat numbly. "You don't have to. Pops might be awhile."

"It's fine," Setsuna waved a hand dismissively through the air. "Plus, _someone_ has to carry that forsaken bag of your's." The blonde sent the duffel a seething glare, and despite himself Yamamoto's lips twitched with the semblance of an actual grin.

* * *

******-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

In the end, Yamamoto was right - his dad did take his sweet time getting there.

When the older man did finally show up however, it was an oddly tearful reunion, and the blonde couldn't take more than a few seconds of it before she was rearing to leave. Not to mention she had made the mistake of making eye contact with a ghost, and it had been inching ever so closer to her for the last ten minutes.

"Well," she mumbled, pushing up from one of the waiting room chairs. "I should probably go now that someone else is here." Arching her back, she stretched out the muscles that had gone stiff. The burns beneath her bandages throbbed slightly at the action, but as they had been doing so at the slightest provocation lately she had long gotten used to the ache.

"Thank you," Yamamoto said meekly, once again giving her a counterfeit smile. Yamamoto Tsuyoshi on the other hand, was a little more forthcoming, even going as far as to offer her a free meal at their Sushi bar. Setsuna promised to take him up on that, before bowing out and making her way towards the exit.

_Don't make eye contact_, she chanted as she passed the dead and living alike. While they blended rather well for the most part, she felt her gut pull at every emotion a spirit gushed out.

By the time she reached the outside air, she felt clinically depressed.

"Hate hospitals," she hissed under her breath, letting the evening breeze soothe her frazzled nerves. Today was just not her day. As if the usual troubles weren't enough, there was yet another near Poltergeist on her hands it seemed. Not that she was already struggling with just one or anything.

Grumbling the entire way, she set course for her house. The blonde didn't even want to imagine what was awaiting her there. Nana was likely going to squeeze her in an iron tight embrace, demand where she had been for the past few hours then yell at her for skipping out on detention. Reborn would either be passed out in Tsuna's bed already, or send a never ending sea of scrutinizing glares her direction. Tsuna on the other hand, probably wouldn't even notice her absence.

That thought flew almost immediately out of her head however, as she spotted several familiar faces at the edge of the block she was currently on.

"Nii-chan?" she asked, utterly bewildered at the sight of her older twin. Tsuna's shock mirrored her own, and he quickly rushed over to meet her. "What're you doing out here, Nii-chan?"

The brunette huffed to catch his breath. "You never showed up, and no one knew where you were." Behind him, Gokudera bobbed his head in affirmation, while Reborn only sported his usual detached yet oddly amused grin.

Setsuna blinked.

They were actually worried about her?

"Sorry," she muttered dumbfoundedly. "Someone at school got hurt so I helped take them to the hospital."

Tsuna snorted, but found himself nonplussed at her explanation. "Should have known it was something so..."

"Kind?" she offered hopefully.

"Odd."

Setsuna pursed her lips, but soon a smile splayed across her features. "Thank you for hosting a search party though," she said after a moment, nodding to the two strolling up behind him.

A rapid blush broke out across Tsuna's cheeks, and he sheepishly downcast his eyes. "Don't mention it..."

"Hello, Hayato-kun," Setsuna greeted with a small wave.

"Setsu-hime," the silver haired boy replied with a bow.

Setsuna turned her attention to greet the toddler, but as he was steadily avoiding eye contact it seemed she would have to settle for the indignant grunt he deemed to give her in acknowledgement. Shrugging him off, she wasn't really in the mood to deal with his scrutiny.

After a moment the group, with Setsuna in tow, turned back the way they had came to make their way back home. Gokudera whistled a song to himself, which sounded strikingly like a piano piece. While Tsuna strolled triumphantly with his hands deep in his pockets. Reborn took the rear, probably to make sure Setsuna didn't leave her post as Ghost-Guard again.

Setsuna had to admit that it felt strange to be among friends like this. Not bad, but definitely something she wasn't used to. Sure, Tsuna had spent more time with her recently, but the situation always seemed to include spirits somehow, or would get spoiled almost immediately by one.

Glancing up at the darkening sky above her, Setsuna noted how truly beautiful of a day out it had been today. Too bad she had been unable to appreciate it due to detention and the random ghost assault.

Warmth bloomed through her chest as she lowered her attention back to the guys around her. Maybe, it really was worth it to spend time with the living after all.

Unfortunately, a certain silver haired spirit didn't feel so inclined to let Setsuna enjoy the moment.

The very tune Gokudera had been whistling before soon drifted through the cool evening air, but now with the full backing of an actual piano behind it.

Setsuna's back instantly went rigid, as a shiver raked her pale frame.

_You've got to be fucking kidding me_, she cursed internally.

Noticing her halted footsteps, the other boys whirled to face her. Tsuna's brows furrowed the moment he saw the faraway look in his sister's amber orbs however. "Setsu-chan?"

Setsuna struggled to focus, her eyes hastily scanning the area for sight of the woman. "I - uh - " she stammered, not even remotely sure what to say or do. "I think I left something back at the hospital..."

Tsuna leveled her a rather dubious glance. After he had gone to all the trouble of collecting Gokudera and Reborn to search for her, he wasn't about to let her out of his sight again so soon. Although, somewhere in the back of his mind he noted that she did suspiciously lack her belongings.

"We'll go with you," the brunette stated before Setsuna could say otherwise.

"Yeah," Gokudera chimed in. "No trouble at all, Setsu-hime."

Of all the times for people to be courteous to her...

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Setsuna tried fruitlessly to think of an excuse to get herself alone with the ghost. She wasn't particularly sure what she could do to placate the spirit once she had her, but figured it probably better to try and control the situation without having to worry about Gokudera and Tsuna.

"I'm hungry," Reborn declared suddenly, tearing the blonde from her thoughts. "Take me home." When Tsuna didn't seem to respond the way he wanted, Reborn brandished his gun, his obsidian eyes begging the teen to make him repeat himself.

Despite himself, the brunette let out a yelp and shot his hands up to defend himself. "Fine... I'll take Reborn home, and you can go get your things." Heaving a sigh, Tsuna turned back around with a pout. Beside him, Gokudera was torn to offer to take her back himself, but as he was too afraid to overstep any boundaries he kept his mouth shut.

Mollified for the most part, Reborn ushered them away, but as he sauntered in the distance he sent Setsuna a look that basically said: '_you owe me_' - and honestly, she did.

As the three guys disappeared around a corner, Setsuna finally spotted Gokudera's mother. Perched underneath a street lamp that twitched rather precariously, stood the ethereal specter.

* * *

**************-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry if Yamamoto seemed OoC here. Personally, I feel that underneath his smile he's actually a significantly darker person than he lets on. _Especially_ when he's suicidal. People don't tend to act all light hearted when they want to kill themselves.

(I also still feel strangely at odds with this chapter. I don't hate it as vehemently as I did the last chapter, but I don't know this one just seemed boring as fuck to me. Now that I think about it, it _is_ kind of a filler. Oh well. Hope you guys weren't as bored out of your minds as I was...)

Anyway, thanks for reading! See you again soon! :)


	9. Target Nine

**Author's Note:** Oh goodness, this week. This fucking week. My Fiction Writing class decided to pile a metric fuck-ton of work on top of me. Usually I try to get a chapter out every two to three days but I just simply didn't have the time to write this week. So, yeah... I'm sorry. Hope this chapter is worth the wait!

(Thank you to **_MusicOfMadness_**,**_ tabemono604_**, **_unlimited tears_**,**_ Yamiroo Alice_**,**_ Sayonara Yasashii Akumu_**, **_kristingreen_**, **_brokenmaelstrom_**,_** Animefreak1145**_, and **_sin kx_** for reviewing. I don't know how many of you guys actually read these author's notes, but I just want to say thank you to those of you that take the time to support this story.)

* * *

_If I conquer this my way,_

_I'd devour, _

_I'd surround,_

_If it hurts you just a little,_

_Then it heals you when it's done,_

_Disappointment is the anchor,_

_Resolution is the sun._

-Resolution by Warptech ft. Cory Friesenhan

* * *

**Target Nine:**

* * *

New waves of trepidation washed over Setsuna with every step she took.

Attempting to quell the sudden torrent of emotions vying for her attention, she evened her breathing as much as she could.

_Inhale..._

_Exhale..._

_Inhale..._

_Exhale..._

Before she even made it halfway down the block however, a flicker of movement danced across her amber orbs. Faster than her eyes could follow, the ghost dashed out from under the lamp in the distance, intent on following after the boys.

Setsuna cursed under her breath, sprinting after the spirit. Protests rung out painfully across her entire body, but she tried her best to ignore them. After all, the blonde already knew she was exhausted, she didn't need to be reminded.

"Stop," Setsuna hissed out through gritted teeth. The woman visibly faltered, but continued on all the same. Letting out a mangled groan, Setsuna increased her speed to a near back breaking pace. After what felt like minutes, that had really only been seconds, she eventually caught up with the ghost.

Curbing to a stop behind the woman, Setsuna grabbed her by the shoulders and forcibly wheeled her around. The moment their eyes met though, Setsuna realized that doing so had been an immense mistake. Maybe it was the sweltering pain sparking beneath her fingers or the oh so dangerous edge to the woman's jade orbs - but everything in Setsuna's system screamed for her to run far, far away.

Not that she even really could at this point though.

From the short distance she had ran already, her lungs were completely parched of oxygen and every breath felt as if someone was raking their nails down the inside of her chest. Not to mention her entire body was thrumming with white hot aches that only seemed to grow worse with every passing second. Thankfully, the adrenaline was there to take some of the edge off, but it only helped so much.

The adrenaline did nothing for the burns engulfing her palms however.

It took all of Setsuna's willpower not to release her grip. If she could hold the spirit in one place for long enough, maybe she could actually talk some sense into her - or at least find a way to help release her before making the complete transition into a Poltergeist. The blonde still didn't even know what the transformation entailed, but from what she had seen already she didn't feel all that inclined to find out.

"**_Leave... Me... Alone..._**" the spirit gushed out, the promise of a threat obvious in her voice.

Despair and rage barreled at Setsuna in full force as the spirit's emotions surged from every pore of her ethereal being. The intensity was staggering, but somehow the blonde managed to keep her fingers in place.

Sensing her threats weren't working, the woman attempted to physically shake free of the Medium's grasp - to no avail. Shock colored the woman's features, but vexation hastily replaced it.

Setsuna's mouth gaped open in stark surprise as well.

The blonde had no wealth of strength to speak of, in fact she was pretty sure that Gokudera's mother could out muscle her any day, but no matter how much the ghost struggled beneath her fingertips she couldn't break free. Chalking it up to being just another Medium thing for now, Setsuna forced herself to focus.

"Sorry, but I can't leave you alone just yet."

The spirit's face contorted with frustration, her irritation spiking the ferocity of the burning sensation where their forms met. Setsuna winced, suppressing the whimper that bubbled in her chest as the skin of her palms singed away.

"I can't help if you keep doing that," the blonde attempted a chuckle, but it might as well have been a groan. "Now, if you'd like to work with me, I need you to tell me what's keeping you here."

Tilting her head slightly, the ghost leveled the blonde a rather suspicious glare.

Despite herself, an irritable twitch began in Setsuna's brow. Never before had she ever had to pursue a ghost like this. They always came to her, begging for her help and demanding her attention. Now that the roles were reversed however, she had to admit that seeking was significantly more annoying than being sought.

"So, why can't you move on yet exactly?" she demanded after another moment of charged silence.

"**_Hayato..._**" the ghost moaned, her eyes wide with what could only be grief. "**_My... Son... Needs... Me..._**"

Setsuna blinked away the moisture that had filled her eyes.

Devastation poured heavily through the connection between them, brimming Setsuna with emotions that didn't belong to her.

"I'm sure he will be fine," the blonde eventually struggled out, trying desperately to console the spirit.

That had been the wrong thing to say though apparently.

Had the woman not been right in front of her, Setsuna might very well have missed the growl that tore from her chest. In that moment though the spirit made an abrupt shift. Towards what, Setsuna couldn't quite tell.

A shadowy darkness pervaded the whites of the woman's eyes, soon engulfing even her irises with their nothingness. The rest of her face cracked, chips of skin disappearing here and there to reveal a matching void beneath.

"**_G_****_et... Away..._**" a voice that hardly even sounded human anymore escaped the spirit's lips.

Whether a warning or a threat, Setsuna hadn't the slightest clue, but she stood her ground - despite the very real terror raging through her.

"No," the blonde set her jaw indignantly.

At that vehemence welled into the stale air around them, jolting the blonde with sparks of stray emotions. Anger. Sadness. Regret. Fear. Loneliness. All of it lashed out at her, fighting over her like a pack of wild wolves.

_She might kill me..._ Setsuna noted as she watched the ghost, or was it poltergeist now, stare lifelessly back into her amber orbs. The woman easily could have killed her so many times now. It was an almost sobering thought. As if the reason the spirit hadn't done so was because she had some shred of humanity left in her. Whether that was present anymore though Setsuna couldn't be sure.

"**_Why... Do... You... Even... Care...?_**" the flickering specter demanded suddenly, tugging the blonde from her thoughts.

Taken aback, Setsuna could only gaze into the spirit's dark orbs.

When she actually thought about it, she wasn't exactly certain. Sure, she was trying to protect Tsuna and Gokudera from getting hurt by the spirit but there was more to it than that. Each time she attempted to call the reason to the surface all she would get was an image of Gokudera's face. The absolutely devastated look that crossed his features when he noticed her wounds. The agonized expression he got when he claimed that all of the trouble had been his fault.

It made her chest constrict with a mixture of pity and guilt.

Guilt, because so far her attempts at saving Gokudera from the supernatural onslaught had failed miserably.

Despite herself, Setsuna had to admit that it felt strange to actually want to help someone like this. Over the course of her life she had usually helped ghosts just to get them to leave her alone. But even so those had been ghosts. It was almost her duty to help them out. This however had been the first time she wanted to help someone still alive.

Even though she wasn't quite ready to call him a friend yet, she couldn't deny that his presence thus far had become one she would be sad to see go. After all, he was the first person outside of her family that even gave her the time of day. He had even gotten Tsuna to approach her at school - a feat he probably hadn't realized.

"Hayato-kun is someone important to me," Setsuna finally decided. "I don't want to see him being tortured like this. If I'm the only one that can help him I will. Even though you've made my life hell as of late, I want to help you too. So please just let me."

The searing beneath Setsuna's hands abruptly ceased, and the tension that had filled the air since the spirit's change in appearance seeped away. Her eyes still remained the same obsidian voids, but she seemed a little more sane. Of course, nowhere near normal but better somehow.

Regardless of the relief that had slipped back into the air around them though, the spirit's emotions were still whirl winding endlessly between them.

Contrition at the forefront.

Somehow the blonde's words had managed to get through to the ghost even in this state. As much as Setsuna wanted to just take the tiny victory, she couldn't ignore the edge the woman's emotions had taken.

Not that they had really been stable before, but an almost reckless feeling tugged at Setsuna's gut. As if the spirit was about to completely break down. The blonde wondered offhandedly if she had pushed the woman too far with this, but knew that it would likely have been worse had she done nothing about it at all.

"**_None... Of... This... Is... My... Fault..._**"

Setsuna swallowed the sudden lump that had formed in her throat.

"What do you mean?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

"**_Hayato's... Birthday..._**" as she said this the woman's eyes flashed back to their normal stormy green. "**_Never... Gave... Him... His... Present..._**"

Amber orbs snapping to attention, Setsuna's thoughts spiraled with the new knowledge.

_Is that her reason for staying around?_ Setsuna mused thoughtfully.

If anything this was the best lead the blonde had thus far.

"I can give him the present," Setsuna replied almost a little too eagerly. "Just tell me where it is, and I can deliver it."

A voice in the back of her mind reminded her that years had probably passed since the birthday his mother was referring to and the present could be long gone, but she ignored it. If there was even the slightest chance of saving both mother and son from the twisted reality they found themselves in, she was going to take it. Even if it meant making promises she wasn't all too sure she could keep.

A certain silver haired spirit didn't seem remotely as confident however.

Despite the very obvious look of hope that splayed across the woman's features though, there was an undeniable wariness to her eyes.

"**_Are... You... Taunting... Me...?_**" the spirit demanded, her emotions doing a complete 180.

"What are you talking about?" Setsuna's brows furrowed in confusion. "I wouldn't d -"

"**_LIES!_**"

The darkness from before overwhelmed the woman's jade orbs once more, and her entire form began to twitch violently. Setsuna barely noticed this however as the burning sensation roared back to life beneath her grasp.

This time though, the pain was so sudden and sharp that her hands instinctively snapped away.

"Shit!" Setsuna cursed as the woman immediately jumped out of reach.

"**_LIES... ALL... LIES... ALL... EVERYONE... DOES... IS... LIE!_**"

During her tirade, more chips of skin cracked away from the woman's frame, the darkness within glaring outward. Setsuna could only watch in mute horror as the bottom half of her face almost completely deteriorated. The mouth of the shadow beneath beamed liplessly.

Setsuna opened her mouth to try to calm the spirit back down, but the words refused to form.

During the entire confrontation with the spirit, there had been a constant surplus of emotions overflowing into her, but now there was only one.

Whatever the woman had become emanated with a sole desire.

To kill Setsuna.

The pressure of the spirit's killing intent soon knocked the wind out of the blonde, sending her sputtering for air to the ground. The sight of this only seemed to excite the specter though as a cackle escaped from it's crooked grin.

Rather than going in for the kill however, the phantom suddenly disappeared in a jagged twist of shadow.

Much like the raven haired spirit that had attacked Yamamoto had done earlier that day.

Relief seeped back into the blonde's thin frame once the specter was completely out of sight.

No matter how hard she tried though she couldn't shake the feeling of trepidation that threatened to consume her.

_Why didn't she finish me off?_ Setsuna wondered through the haze of pain and fear that had settled over her senses. The sheet of icy sweat on her pale skin did little for her concentration as well.

Unable to really think coherently, she didn't quite notice a ghost in front of her until their hands rested lightly on her shoulders.

Still reeling with terror, Setsuna scrambled as far away as she could manage with her exhausted form.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute," a familiar voice called from above her. "Everything is alright."

Despite the darkness that rimmed her vision from doing so, the blonde craned her neck up. "Tsuna-nii? Or...?"

"Giotto," the ghost supplied, his amusement slightly marred by an emotion Setsuna didn't even bother reading into.

"Ah," she said limply. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving you," he replied, as if it was obvious. Which, it very well might have been had Setsuna been in a normal state of mind. "I sensed you were in trouble, and it looks like I made it just in time. Your little near Poltergeist friend ran the second I materialized."

"Near Poltergeist..." she repeated his words. "You mean she's still - "

"Not a Poltergeist? Yeah."

"Oh thank goodness," Setsuna released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Ever since the woman's appearance had shifted a second time she had been terrified that she had lost her soul forever. Tears of relief dribbled down her cheeks before she could stop them. "I thought I..."

"Everything's okay now," Giotto cooed, plopping down beside her to sweep her into an embrace. Usually the girl would be opposed to such a thing, but she let him do it now. Even if he was a ghost, which she very much so wanted to stay away from at the moment, his arms still offered the comfort she craved. As much as she wanted to return the hug though her hands refused to cooperate.

Noticing the awkward way she held herself, Giotto lowered his gaze to her palms.

A good percentage of the skin on them was missing, and blood still seeped out through the unmasked gouges. Getting her first real glance at them herself, bile quickly rose up into Setsuna's throat. Having just enough control over herself, she held back the dry heaves that began to rake her frame.

After all, she could still smell the charred flesh in the evening air.

Honestly, Setsuna couldn't believe that this day was still going on. So much had happened, yet so little. In the distance, she noticed listlessly that the sun had finally set.

In that moment all she wished for nothing more than the comfort of her own bed and the worried yet concerned lecture Nana was likely to give when her daughter eventually ambled through the door.

"Looks like I might get some scars," she noted, almost jokingly, as she glared at her crimson palms.

Giotto didn't share in her sense of humor however.

"I warned you those could get pretty nasty."

Setsuna pursed her lips slightly. "Not much I could do about it, I had to hold her in place so we could talk."

Shutting his eyes, Giotto pinched the bridge of his nose in mute bemusement. "You held onto a spirit while they were transitioning into a Poltergeist?"

"Yeah, kind of..."

"You're lucky you even still _have_ hands, Setsu-chan."

* * *

******-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note: **So, this story has made me realize something. I love to make my characters suffer. I know some of you were hoping to see Setsuna kick some ass this round, but what can I say? Right now she's just a normal teenage girl (physically anyway...) and even with her innate abilities she's not just immediately going to know how to fight. Sorry to disappoint.

(Also, I'm sorry for the short chapter. I tend to end these where they organically seem to drop off - at least to me anyway. I know you guys waited forever for it and BOOM it's super short. While that was not my intention, I honestly feel that if I continued where I planned to start the next scene it would have detracted somewhat from the importance of this one. Promise to update as soon as I can to make up for it. After all, I only have to read and critique 10 short stories for class this week... heh...)

Oh, by the way, my 8th FanFiction anniversary is on the 14th - yes, I have no life, and I've had no life for awhile.

Hope to see you guys again soon!


	10. Target Ten

**Author's Note: **Again, I'm sorry for the late update this week. I wrote this chapter a few times. Decided to change it up from my original sketch of the chapter I had in my notebook, so it took some time to reorganize. Hope you guys enjoy it anyway! :)

(Thank you to_** lacomptessa**_, **_tabemono604_**, **_Animefreak1145_**, **_Crystal Blue Butterfly_**, **_Yamiroo Alice_**, **_brokenmaelstrom_**,**_ Sayonara Yasashii Akumu_** and**_ kristingreen_** for reviewing. You guys remind me that people actually still read this.)

* * *

**Target Ten:**

* * *

Trailing his thin fingers over the patterns ingrained on the wood of the dining table, Tsuna tried his best to quell the bubbling anxiety in his chest.

After parting ways with Setsuna and Gokudera, the brunette had begrudgingly escorted Reborn back to the house. Since then it had been about an hour, and his sister had yet to make it back. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have bothered butting into her affairs in the first place, but as the blonde seemed to be attracting more trouble than usual as of late he couldn't deny the almost protective instinct that had begun to take root.

Sure, him and Setsuna were never really the closest. In fact, he was certain that they were about as far apart as siblings could get without actually hating each other's guts. Until Reborn showed up, turning Tsuna's life upside down, the two of them rarely if ever spent any time together.

Now however, the brunette was choreographing search parties to look for the girl when she was only a few hours late from school.

As much as he hated to admit it though, he hadn't even noticed Setsuna's absence until Nana asked where she was, since the blonde had promised to help with dinner.

At first Tsuna brushed it off, still in the after glow of his encounter with Yamamoto during P.E. earlier that day, but the more time that passed the more he began to worry.

Even when concern dominated his thoughts, he still couldn't bring himself to actually do anything about it. Until of course, Reborn gave him the incentive of being held at gunpoint. For some reason, the toddler appeared oddly agitated in his own right as well.

After roping Gokudera into helping search for her, the three found her relatively easily.

As per the usual though, the blonde had one of her typical excuses on her lips.

Ever since they were little she always came up with these elaborate, if not outlandish, explanations for her random disappearances. Sometimes it was a cat stuck in a tree, or helping an elderly woman with her groceries - but they were always weird.

At the time he had really wanted to get on her case for worrying him, yet he found himself unable to. Maybe it was the haggard look in her amber orbs or how very closed off she seemed all of a sudden, but no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't force the words out.

Letting out a shaky chuckle, he lifted a tentative hand to his spiky mane of auburn hair. Rustling the locks beneath his fingers, he attempted to ignore the rather intense expression Reborn's face had shifted to in the last twenty minutes.

Just as Tsuna opened his mouth to finally break the hush that had fallen across the table, Reborn beat him to it.

"You should go and find Setsuna again before it gets any darker," the Hitman suggested suddenly, his lips in a taut line.

Tsuna's jaw slacked at the notion.

While he was worried about her, he didn't feel too inclined to wander the streets at night. Even if they were in the middle of a suburban metropolis, all kinds of people came out at this time of night.

Noticing his student's reluctance, Reborn delivered a swift jab to the brunette's gut.

"As a Mafia Boss, the most important thing is protecting your Famiglia," the Hitman reminded him coolly. "Setsuna is a part of that Famiglia."

"But I'm not a Mafia Boss..." Tsuna protested feebly.

Pain exploded once more in his abdomen as the toddler sent another punch his way.

"F-fine, I g-give," Tsuna stammered, throwing his hands up in defeat. "But if I get mugged I'm blaming you."

"Go ahead."

Steeling whatever small amount of resolve he had left, Tsuna pushed away from the table, his chair scraping starkly against the floor.

The brunette wondered offhandedly where his mother was.

Earlier she had been so worried about Setsuna that she paced from one end of the kitchen to the other for hours. After coming back from his search empty handed, Nana only became more anxious.

Tsuna assured her that the blonde would be back soon, but as more time passed it became harder to calm her down. Eventually the woman took the phone and disappeared somewhere in the house. Probably to call around to ask if anyone had seen her daughter.

Nana could be quite the mother-bear when she wanted to be, Tsuna realized.

At least when it came to his sister.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he shucked into a jacket off the rack and slid into his sneakers.

Just as he reached to roll the doorknob in his hand, it swung out of reach.

Eyes snapping to attention, Tsuna instantly noticed golden locks twisting about in the breeze from outside. Standing in the doorway was none other than his sister Setsuna.

A plethora of emotions splayed across his features in a matter of seconds. First shock, relief, then confusion, only to settle on concern.

"Nii-chan," the blonde said simply, her amber orbs wide with astonishment.

_Crap_, she hissed internally.

Setsuna had hoped to avoid notice until she covered the condition of her hands. Of course, she expected Tsuna to ask about them eventually, but it would have been much easier to come up with an excuse if he didn't see what they actually looked like.

"What happened?" Tsuna demanded, his voice low as he attempted to suppress his unease.

Scanning her form with flitting honey orbs, he instantly noted several red flags.

Since the last time he saw her the blonde looked exceptionally different. Her school uniform was completely off center and disheveled, almost as if it had been physically tugged off her shoulders. Even her hair, which was typically unruly regardless, somehow managed to look more on edge than usual. What garnered his attention the most however, was the crimson smears that littered the fabric of her shirt.

Focusing on a particularly interesting speck on the ground, Setsuna tried her best to avoid eye contact with her brother's scrutinizing gaze.

"I tripped," she offered after a moment. "My hands caught my fall... It's nothing, Nii-chan."

When Tsuna didn't supply any retort, she took his moment of deliberation to slide past him. Before she even made it a few feet though, he finally spoke up.

"A-are you sure, Setsu-chan?" the brunette asked hesitantly.

Whirling back to face him, she regarded him with upraised brows. "What do you mean?"

Tsuna scratched at the back of his neck sheepishly, not having expected such a fervent response. "I just m-mean the other day you _tripped_ too... and there were those s-strange marks on your arms..."

"What do you think happened then?" she challenged tiredly.

At that, Tsuna clamped his mouth shut.

What exactly _was_ he suggesting happened?

Even he had no clue really.

Sure, he had no real reason to doubt her, but as much as he wanted to simply believe her he couldn't ignore the subtle suspicious signs she had exhibited thus far. From the obscure injuries the other day to the way she was hiding her palms from view now. Something about it all was just too fishy.

"I... I don't know," he decided finally.

Setsuna heaved a sigh of relief, and strangely disappointment.

While she was relieved he dropped the subject, honestly it killed her that she couldn't just tell him the truth.

_Remember what happened the last time you told him..._ a voice in the back of her head reminded her sullenly.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she turned back around. "Good night, Nii-chan. Sorry for causing you trouble."

Tsuna grimaced slightly. "Yeah..."

* * *

******-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

At school the next day, when Setsuna finally stumbled her way into the classroom, she was ready to just go home. Which, that very thought was the reason she had such an annoying day to begin with.

Earlier, the moment she had opened the door to the class, which had been fairly difficult considering she had no skin on the inside of her palms, her teacher had pulled her aside to announce that she would be spending yet another lunch in the principal's office to discuss her less than stellar attendance for detention yesterday.

Thankfully, the principal was a rather soft spoken man, and things hadn't gone nearly as bad as they could have.

Regardless however, she still got a few more after school detentions to add to the already maddeningly long list. The blonde was also reminded of the fine she had yet to pay, which was another beast entirely.

It wasn't like she was specifically avoiding paying or anything, she just simply didn't have the money.

Letting out a mangled sigh, Setsuna plopped unceremoniously into the chair behind her desk.

So far, nothing had gone the way she had planned for today to go.

After last night, she decided that even if it upset him or brought up memories better left forgotten, she needed to talk to Gokudera. She was running out of time to save his mother's soul. If anything, by coming into contact with the ghost without a plan was only exacerbating the process.

Despite her failures though, Setsuna felt as if she had won some slight victory. At the cost of her hands and maybe a bit of her sanity, she had learned what was keeping the woman here.

If she could only find out what present the woman was talking about, then everything could be settled without anyone else getting injured. Sure, she had no idea if Gokudera knew about the present his mother had mentioned, but it was still worth a shot.

As if fate had decided not to be on her side today however, Gokudera had stayed home from school.

When she approached Tsuna about it, the brunette immediately clammed up.

Whether from where Gokudera actually was or if he was still suspicious about what had happened last night she wasn't sure. All she knew was that without Gokudera around, the siblings' usual relationship slid back into place.

So, when lunch had finally come to an end, both Sawadas were in a relatively bad mood.

As his sister finally took her seat, Tsuna regarded her with a furtive glance.

Since he had seen her the night before, the blonde had brandished even more bandages.

Now, aside from just her arms they engulfed her hands too. Not to mentioned the bruises that were still visible on her calves. Of course, he knew that she had gotten most of her wounds from when the desk had fallen out of the window, but to everyone else it must have looked like someone had beaten the crap out of her.

Every time he looked at her like this, it set his jaw on edge.

There was nothing he could do to help her though. Not when he didn't even know what was happening.

_Maybe this really is from Gokudera's 'curse'..._ he mused to himself.

While he was pretty sure no such thing existed it was hard to ignore that ever since his '_right hand man_', as the teen had taken to calling himself, showed up some strange things had started happening. Although, to be fair strange things had been happening long before that. Long before even Reborn came.

Offhandedly, Tsuna remembered when he had first realized his sister wasn't normal.

At the time the blonde had been talking to one of her imaginary friends, which had been named Satoshi-kun. After one of the children that had gone missing in their Kindergarten class he assumed. That had been freaky in it's own right. Especially when she played with the imaginary friend at school.

Everyone thought she was doing it to be spiteful, which was when the bullies had first started going after her.

After a few weeks of playing with Satoshi though, the police had finally found his body in the woods.

The day they found the boy though, Setsuna had been crying, and Tsuna, in a bout of older brother protectiveness, asked what was bothering her. She said that Satoshi was gone for good now. Tsuna wondered why she was so upset, as Setsuna and Satoshi had barely known each other.

Then it hit him that she was referring to her imaginary friend.

After that he could never see her the same way again.

No one could really.

Little did he know that around the same time Setsuna had noticed she wasn't exactly normal either.

Sighing to himself, Tsuna rested his chin on his desk.

Today hadn't really gone how he had envisioned it would either.

Gokudera mentioned this morning that he would be gone since he had to replenish his supply of explosives. As much as he hated to admit it though, without Gokudera around it felt as if nothing at all had changed since Reborn came around. Sure, people no longer called him Dame-Tsuna as much, but he couldn't deny the loneliness that had settled in without his only friend around.

_Friend..._

The word made him recall his conversation with the athlete from yesterday. How Yamamoto had asked for Tsuna's advice, and actually even heeded it. Warmth bloomed in his chest from the memory.

Although, that completely seeped away when the door to the classroom suddenly burst open.

"Yamamoto is about to jump off the roof!" the out of breath student shouted into the classroom.

At that, the chatter that had been bubbling in the classroom cut instantly, only to be replaced by grumbles of dissent.

"The Yamamoto from our class?" someone asked doubtfully.

"There are good pranks and bad pranks, you know?" one of his fangirls scoffed.

Setsuna however, bolted upright in her desk, amber orbs wide with disquiet.

"What happened?" the blonde demanded, tuning an intense glare on the jaded student.

The boy's throat visibly bobbed up and down.

"Apparently when he stayed after school yesterday... he went too far and broke his arm," he relayed hesitantly.

"Idiot," Setsuna hissed under her breath. Pushing away from her desk, she shoved passed the messenger and sprinted down the hall. The rest of the class soon followed after her. Whether not wanting to be outdone by one of the Dame-Twins or actual concern for the popular athlete, Tsuna couldn't tell.

Despite himself, Tsuna stood utterly immobile where his desk, which had been corralled out of the way by the other students, would have been.

"No way... it's all my fault." Tsuna whispered to himself.

All because Yamamoto followed his stupid advice, the raven was about to kill himself. Tugging at his gravity defying hair, flashes from the day before shuffled unbidden across his mind.

'_Effort is the only way._'

'_That's what I thought too!_'

'_Someone at school got hurt so I helped take them to the hospital._'

The memories continued to replay, only making his stomach sink deeper and deeper, which was probably why he didn't noticed someone calling his name until the third or fourth time.

"What?" he slurred slowly, the acid in his veins ruining his ability to speak.

"Come on, Tsuna-kun," Kyoko, who had stayed behind, gestured towards the door. "Let's go."

A sudden blush spread across his sweat covered cheeks. "You go on ahead... I'll be there in a minute."

Kyoko sent him an encouraging smile before dashing through the open door.

Submitting to his fate, Tsuna darted out after her.

When Tsuna made it to the roof, he immediately noticed Yamamoto in the distance already behind the fence, and a crowd of students terrified to get close. Too nervous to face them all, Tsuna slid down the wall on the other side of the roof.

_I can't face Yamamoto like this..._

A metallic clink tore Tsuna from his thoughts. Glancing up, the brunette noticed Reborn in front of him, gun already aimed at his head. "You want to help Yamamoto as a friend, right?" the toddler asked, hastily cocking the firearm.

Tsuna lifted his hands defensively, offering weak protests. When the Hitman didn't seem even the slightest bit deterred, he turned and ran. Only to stumble and collapse between the open space between the fence and the crowd.

"Nii-chan?" Setsuna voiced hesitantly from her spot at the front of the group. Tsuna regarded her with a mystified expression, before turning his sights on Yamamoto. Much to her surprise, Yamamoto actually engaged in a conversation with the brunette.

Having made it before the rest of the students, she had attempted to talk to the raven. All he had done however was thank her for her help yesterday, and turned back around.

Ignoring any other of her attempts.

Of course she was worried over him actually jumping, but she couldn't deny the growing unease in her chest over what else could possibly happen. Especially since Yamamoto was the target of a near Poltergeist. The athlete shouldn't have been on a roof in general considering - definitely nowhere near the edge anyway.

"I'm sorry. What I said yesterday... was a l-lie..." Tsuna pulled Setsuna out of her thoughts suddenly. "Saying you want to die because you're frustrated over a career ending accident... I've never had such intense thoughts. In fact, I'm a pathetic person that would only die with regrets. Thinking if I'm going to die, then I should have done something with a dying will - believing it a waste to die from something like this... So, no, I'm sorry. I can't understand your feelings."

"Wait -" Yamamoto pleaded when Tsuna turned away, grasping the brunette's shirt over the fence.

The moment the raven had Tsuna in the clumsy grasp of his non-dominant hand however, a familiar twist of shadow ripped through the air behind Yamamoto. Beads of icy sweat instantly broke out across Setsuna's skin.

The dark haired spirit from the day before materialized suddenly, hovering in the wind as if on an invisible platform.

Now that she had a closer glance at the specter though, Setsuna had to admit the woman was beautiful.

Charcoal hair hung at her waist, tied in a low ponytail by a crimson ribbon, and a pair of deep burgundy orbs shone dangerously in the afternoon sunlight.

As much as the blonde wanted to gawk at the ghost though, she couldn't quite ignore the fact that the spirit was reaching a hand towards Yamamoto, whom currently had his fingers entwined in the collar of Tsuna's shirt.

"Stop!" the blonde shouted as she darted forward, but it was too late. By the time she even made it half way across the roof, the woman tugged the two teens clear off the edge, before disappearing once again.

White hot emotions burned through Setsuna, but before she had the chance to even distinguish them, she heard the sharp cries of gunshots in the distance.

* * *

******-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

By the time Setsuna made it to the ground level her body was screaming protests at her, yet she hardly found it in herself to care.

"Nii-chan?!" she called out, as she made her way into the courtyard beneath where they should have fallen off the roof.

Half expecting to find their bloodied corpses, her shoulders drooped with relief when she found her brother standing in his boxers and Yamamoto safely sprawled out on the packed dirt beside him.

"Setsu-chan?" Tsuna called back, somewhat confused.

Still agitated, Setsuna hastily made her way over to them. "You're both alright?"

"Yup!" Yamamoto exclaimed, taking the blonde by surprise.

_I guess he's back to his usual self now..._ she mused, regarding him with a searching gaze.

The athlete seemed okay for the most part - aside from the broken arm of course.

After a moment, the blonde shifted to face her brother. "Reborn?" she asked simply.

"Yeah," Tsuna admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Figured," she replied with a chuckle, the sides of her lips tugging up into a slight grin. "I'm glad you're both not...you know..."

"Dead?" Tsuna supplied at her hesitation.

"Yeah, that."

Now it was Tsuna and Yamamoto's turns to chuckle, but this time Setsuna didn't join in. Since the adrenaline had worn off, her mind reeled from what just happened.

Having to protect Tsuna from Gokudera's ghost stalker had proved difficult enough, but now she had to ward off yet another violent phantom. Not that she had ever really believed being a Medium to be easy or anything, but this was getting out of hand.

_I'll talk to Hayato-kun tomorrow..._

That was however, if she wasn't flayed alive for missing more of class.

* * *

******-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

******Author's Note: **Okay, so I know having the ghost take them off the roof didn't really change much, but in my opinion it always struck me as odd how they fell off. I know fence was supposed to be old, but I just never really understood how they got enough momentum to be projected the way they did. Unless of course, Tsuna tripped, but I don't remember that being explicitly shown.**  
**

(So, I've come to realize that my current way of naming chapters may become difficult if I'm ever faced with one that doesn't have a ghost in it. I guess I'll just have to keep writing until one shows up then, huh? Oh my glob...)

Anyway, thank you for reading yet another chapter!

Hope to see you guys soon!

(My birthday is this upcoming Monday so if the next chapter isn't out by then expect it Tuesday or Wednesday... if not a little later.)


	11. Target Eleven

**Author's Note:** Sorry for another late chapter. My birthday was kind of a wreck so I spent a few days recuperating. The fact that my eyes were bleeding made it a little hard to focus on things... like a computer screen for example. So yeah, hope you guys like this chapter more than the last - as it seems quite a few people hated it.

(Thank you to **_MidnightMirror_**, **_lacomptessa_**, **_tabemono604_**, **_Animefreak1145_**, **_Sayonara Yasashii Akumu_**, **_Yamiroo Alice_** and **_RadioactiveInTheDark_** for reviewing. Glad some people actually liked that last chapter...)

* * *

**Target Eleven:**

* * *

_Meet me at Namimori Park._

Gokudera checked the screen on his phone for what felt like the millionth time. Peridot orbs scanning the grounds in front of him, he assumed that he had gotten the right address. Surprisingly, there weren't a lot parks in Namimori. Aside from the primary school grounds, it was the only recreational lot that people actually used.

At this time of day though, not many people were left.

Despite himself, Gokudera felt oddly nostalgic as he noticed the empty play structures before him.

Flashes of his own childhood reeled across his mind.

Most of his youth had been spent on the run from his father's goons. From working for whatever Famiglia was willing to take him in, to the time spent in the shitty apartments his almost nonexistent paycheck could afford - he honestly had no _real_ childhood to speak of.

Unless he included the years he spent in his father's mansion.

Which, he most definitely did not.

"Hayato-kun!" a familiar voice called out, piercing through his thoughts.

Blinking his eyes back into focus, he lifted them to search for the owner of the voice - spotting the blonde almost instantaneously.

Swaying in small circles, Setsuna gave a small wave from her spot on the swingset. Surprised, Gokudera did a double take, as he wasn't quite used to seeing her outside of their school uniform. Rather than the normal clothes he saw her in, she was now in a pair of cut off shorts and a loose navy tee-shirt for the band _Blood and Peppers_.

"Setsu-hime?" he asked somewhat incredulously.

The blonde's lips quirked ever so slightly at the honorific. "Yeah, it's me."

Remembering himself, Gokudera bowed apologetically before making his way over to her.

The moment he reached her however, a palpable silence immediately loomed overhead.

For the past few days, she had been trying to find a time to speak with him. But something always got in the way. Whether it be her detentions, or him getting into another heated 'discussion' with Yamamoto.

To be honest though, Gokudera was terrified of what she had to say, and had been actively avoiding this very meeting.

The injuries she had received at the hand of his stupid fucking curse were still healing, and the way her brows furrowed whenever he made an appearance was hard to ignore.

If anything, she probably just wanted him out of her life before his presence inflicted any more damage. It wasn't as if he hadn't thought about it already though.

After the kindness and acceptance the Vongola Decimo had shown him, it would be vastly unfair to allow Tsuna to get hurt as a result. Not to mention, Gokudera didn't _want_ to leave.

But, if Setsuna asked him... demanded that he did... it would be quite difficult to argue with her - especially since she still walked with a limp because of him.

Noticing his rather tortured expression, Setsuna let out a mangled sigh.

"I promise I won't bite," she attempted to reassure him.

A slight grin cracked on his features, but it was obviously only a patronizing gesture.

"Swing with me?" she changed tact, offering him the chain of the swing beside her. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he grasped the chains and wordlessly slid down between them.

"So... what did you want to talk about, Setsu-hime?" he asked tentatively.

_Whatever it is just get it over with_, he groaned to himself. As much as he had been putting this conversation off, the stigma that had been growing since she asked to talk had become utterly unbearable as of late.

Which is probably why he finally gave in and sent her a text earlier saying he was free tonight.

"Okay, so this is going to sound a little weird..." she trailed off, knotting her fingers nervously in her lap. "But can you tell me about your family?"

Gokudera blinked first once, then twice.

"Family?" he repeated, as if he hadn't heard her correctly the first time.

"Yeah," she admitted almost sheepishly. "Like about your parents... If it's not too much trouble."

Gokudera opened and closed his mouth.

How exactly was he supposed to explain the impossibly fucked up state of his family?

Why did she even want to know?

"Uh," was his eventually eloquent response.

Running a hand through the wayward strands of her blonde hair, Setsuna tried to think of a reason to give him for asking about such a sensitive subject. It wasn't like she could just blurt out that the ghost of his mother was haunting him and the only way to save her soul was to solve the issue keeping her here.

Well, she could, but that would most likely end in Gokudera running as far away as he could manage.

Maybe, it wasn't a good idea to involve him after all.

"Ugh," she groaned after a moment, averting her eyes towards something in the distance. "Forget I asked."

"No, no, it's okay," Gokudera waved his hands emphatically. "I'll tell you."

As confused as he was, he wasn't about to spurn Setsuna away. After being granted such an honor of a one on one conversation with his Boss's sister, it would be a grave insult to turn down a request. Especially one as simple as telling her about his past.

After all, it wasn't the first time someone from a Famiglia wanted to know about it. Considering his father was a Mafia Boss himself, people often wondered why the child of such a _prestigious_ man would look to join any other Famiglia. Because of this, he was viewed as either a spy or a disloyal bastard. Not many Famiglias welcomed him, and the ones that did were subjected to his damn curse.

Noting the worsening expression on his face, Setsuna grimaced herself. "If it's that bad you don't have to talk about it."

Gokudera snorted. It _was_ that bad, but he wasn't so weak that he couldn't talk about it.

"My _family_... if you can call it that, is beyond fuc - _er _- messed up," he warned her, but when she didn't seem all that deterred he went on. "Before I was old enough to do anything about it, my father got rid of my mother."

He didn't bother watching Setsuna's reaction as he brandished a cigarette and lit it. The moment the nicotine hit his system his frazzled nerves calmed, but his mind still reeled from voicing the very fact that plagued him on a daily basis.

Rather than becoming emotional as he had expected, when Gokudera's gaze finally returned to the blonde he noticed her face was tight, and she seemed deep in thought.

"What do you mean?" she prodded after a moment, voice barely audible.

"When I was a kid, my father had my mother killed," he clarified candidly.

"Oh," Setsuna's mouth dropped open, as her mind attempted to sort through the new onslaught of information.

All that would explain why his mother was so violent.

Spirits that died a more intense death tended to be unstable as a result. Aside from his mother and the ghost that was stalking Yamamoto though, she had only ever ran into a few other volatile spirits. None of which were even remotely close to a Poltergeist transformation, but she could still distinctly recall them demanding revenge.

Of course, Setsuna assumed something had happened before the woman died that made her so irate now, but she most definitely hadn't been expecting this.

"I'm sorry for asking," she apologized after a moment. "I had no idea."

Gokudera smirked slightly. "Not your fault, Setsu-hime."

Setsuna offered him an encouraging smile in return, but it did little to ease the hardened look that had settled on his features.

"So... what was she like?" Setsuna wondered quietly. The only point of reference the blonde had of the woman was the insane, near Poltergeist she had gotten to know these past couple weeks.

Gokudera visibly flinched at the question however.

He had only known the woman a few years and even then he was only allowed to see her three times a year. Out of those visits he recalled maybe two of them.

"I don't remember much," he admitted sullenly. "But from what I _can_ remember, she was a kind, and gentle woman. The times I did see her, she would play the piano for me... and I for her. I was pretty terrible - but you should have heard her play."

Gokudera took another drag of his cigarette.

"When she played her very soul was in the music."

Setsuna's chest constricted tightly at the mention of the instrument.

_That would explain the music..._

"Her name was Lavina," he said breathlessly, voice marred by barely contained emotion. "And I wish I could have actually gotten to know her."

Wringing his hands irritably, Gokudera attempted to stifle the flood of emotions that was threatening to break loose within. Even if he had spoken of this before, it had been so long that everything he kept bottled inside suddenly poured out of him.

"S-sorry," he apologized with a shake of his head. "I didn't mean to - "

"I should have known better than to ask," Setsuna cut him off, cursing herself for forcing him into this.

Despite the fact that she had spent literally days preparing what to say to him, all of the words had fluttered away the moment the conversation started.

"No, it's okay," Gokudera sighed. Honestly, it felt somewhat good to talk about it - like he was getting something off his chest.

"Before she died," he began again, his words scarcely above a whisper. "I didn't know Lavina was my mother. I thought she was just someone my father paid to teach me how to play piano."

A sardonic chuckle rumbled in his throat.

"Hell, I didn't even know she died. All I knew was that she missed my birthday - one of the few times a year I actually did get to see her. I didn't find out till about five years later that she died on the way to see me, and my father was the very one that had her taken out... Apparently a mistress wasn't good for his reputation."

Setsuna only stared at him in stunned silence.

Originally, it had struck her as odd that Lavina was so upset over not being able to give her son his birthday present, but everything made sense now. More than anything, Lavina was devastated that she hadn't been able to see the son before she died. Especially considering she rarely saw him that much to begin with.

Squashing the cigarette butt between his fingers, Gokudera haphazardly flicked the remnants of the cancer stick away.

Somehow, he felt lighter now, as if a weight had been taken off his shoulders - but the emptiness that always seemed to cling to him still echoed effervescently. After all, the vacant hole in his chest was something he had long gotten used to.

* * *

******-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

"Hey, Setsu-hime," Gokudera said suddenly, as they reached the gate of the Sawada household. The blonde stopped dead in her tracks. After their conversation on the swings ended the silver haired teen had yet to say a word.

"Yes, Hayato-kun?" she asked, somewhat hesitantly.

Ever since he stopped talking, she had half expected him to blow up any moment - furious with her for butting into his personal life. A part of her even wondered if he had some ulterior motive in walking her home - from the look on his face however it was obvious that wasn't really the case.

"I just wanted to say," he trailed off, a light blush dusting his cheeks as he averted his stormy green orbs. "Even though I don't know why you wanted to know about my past... thank you for listening to my ramblings. It was - _uh_ - nice." Scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, he stole a furtive glance through the corner of his eye.

An astonished blush hastily crept up on her pale cheeks as well.

"No need to thank me," she soon found herself unable to face his gaze. "I shouldn't have bothered you with it."

Taking her hands into his own, he forced her to look at him. "No, really! I'm glad someone cared enough to ask... I mean... ugh... It just helped to get it off my chest, okay?"

Despite herself, a giggle escaped Setsuna's lips. This was the first time she had seen Gokudera so flustered. "Okay," she eventually relented, with a small grin.

Mollified, Gokudera released his grip on her hands and deposited his own back to his pockets.

"One last thing, if you don't mind," he said, as he rocked back on his heels. "Can you not mention what I told you to, Juudaime? I don't want him to worry unnecessarily."

Setsuna's grin drooped into a grimace. "If that's what you want."

After all, she was pretty much the poster child of secrets at this point.

Not that she hadn't tried to tell Tsuna about her abilities before or anything though...

Gokudera let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Thank you, Setsu-hime."

"No problem, Hayato-kun."

After that, the silver haired teen gave an awkward half wave before strolling away - towards wherever it was that he lived. As he left though, Setsuna couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

Trailing her fingers over the bars of the gate, the blonde attempted to sift through what she had learned with their conversation.

By any standard it wasn't a lot, yet at the same time it was.

The reason Lavina had been so upset over the fact that she hadn't given Gokudera his birthday present was because:

A.) She rarely saw him

B.) She had been killed on the way to his birthday

As horrible as it was though, this knowledge did little to help Setsuna put Lavina to rest. If anything, it only further solidified the fact that she needed to find and deliver the present.

That proved to be somewhat difficult though, considering the blonde had no idea where to look for the present and she couldn't really ask Gokudera about it without revealing her true motives. Even if by some miracle Gokudera knew where the present was, it likely wouldn't be in his possession. Not to mention he had just moved from Italy with who knows how many of his old belongings.

All of this was giving Setsuna a massive headache, one that throbbed rather angrily behind her amber orbs - which was probably why she didn't realize someone was behind her until they had a hand over her mouth and an arm snaked around her waist.

The moment reality caught up with her though, the blonde struggled fruitlessly in the iron grip of the attacker. As she did so however, what they had in their hand expeditiously slid down Setsuna's throat.

Darkness soon swallowed her vision, and consciousness slipped unwillingly from her grasp.

* * *

******-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the short chapter after such a long wait. I just struggled with this chapter for some reason. I had been terrified I made Gokudera too OoC, but at the same time I kind of liked him this way. I honestly feel with the relationship him and Setsuna have at the moment he would confide in her, but ultimately I don't know as he never had this type of relationship with anyone in the manga. You're free to disagree though, I guess.

Maybe I should just slap an OoC tag onto the summary and be done with it...

(As I'm sure you noticed, I changed the chapter titling system. It was getting to the point where it was almost forcing me to change up the plot just to make sure a ghost was included - which, I'd rather not stray from my original plot sketch for such an insignificant reason. Hope you guys weren't too off-put by it.)

Anyway, thank you for reading everyone. (Even if you hated this chapter as much as the last.)

Hope to see you again soon!


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